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TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



V 

H. BADEN PRITCHARD, 

AUTHOR OF 
A PEEP AT THE PYRENEES," " BEAUTY SPOTS OP THE CONTINENT." 



4- 




LONDON : 

T1NSLRY BROTHERS, 8, CATHERINE STREET, STRAND. 

1874. 



c/ 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



BY 

S 

H. BADEN PRITCHARD, 

AUTHOR OP 
A PEKP AT THE PYRENEES ," " BEAUTY SPOTS OF THE CONTINENT. 



\\ 



WITH FRONTISPIECE AND VIGNETTE 
BY 

JOHN PROCTOR. 




LONDON : 

TINSLEY BROTHERS, 8, CATHERINE STREET, STRAND. 
1874. 

[All rights of Translation and Reproduction are reserved.'] 



nd Kef 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

1>AGB 

BASLE — LAKE OF CONSTANCE— LINDAC— THE ORIGINATOR OF 
THE TOUR — 1MMENSTADT— PLEASURES OF PEDESTRIANS— 
BEER-FEVER — AN OBSTREPEROUS KNAPSACK .... 1 

CHAPTER II. 

HINTERLANGEN— A BENEVOLENT PURPOSE — OBERDORF — THE 
AUSTRIAN FRONTIER — A SPECIFIC AGAINST THE EFFECTS 
OF BEER — RECTTE — STORIES ABOUT ENGLISHMEN ... 23 

CHAPTER III. 

LERMOS — POLITE SOCIETY— PRIMITIVE LODGINGS— THE MA- 
RIENBURG — A CLUB MEETING — AN ACCIDENT — RULES OF 
PEDESTRIANISM— POSTING — INNSBRUCK 41 

CHAPTER IV. 

TITLED PERSONAGES — A RAILWAY PICNIC — TYROLESE INNS — 
ZELL 1M ZlLLER — ZITHER PLAYING — " AMONG THE TYROL 
MOUNTAINS" 68 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER V. 

PAGB 

THE GARLSSTEG — SKITTLE PLAYING — ADIEU TO ZELL — A CAL- 
VARY MOUNTAIN — A VILLAGE SCHOOLMASTER— A SENNER 
HUTTE — THE KRIMML FALLS — NICE LODGERS — MITTER- 
SILL — IN MEMORIAM 88 

CHAPTER VI. 

A PRIMITIVE CONVEYANCE — ZELL-AM-SEE — THE TYROLESE 
KELLNERIN — TO PERK UP — ST. WOLFGANG — GREEN'S RO- 
MANTIC ATTACHMENT 115 

CHAPTER VII. 

FERLEITEN— TYROLESE UIDES— THE PASS OF THE PFANDL- 
SCHARTE — A PICNIC ON THE SNOWFIELDS — THE PASTER- 
ZEN GLACIER — CHAPEL OF ST. BRICCIUS— HEILIGENBLUT 
— DINING IN STATE . . . . 139 

CHAPTER VIII. 

HEILIGENBLUT — THE STORY OF ST. BRICCIUS — HOW TO PRE- 
SERVE A SHRINE — THE CAT'S WALK — THE GLOCKNER 
GROUP— KALS — MAKING FRIENDS WITH A COUNTESS — 
HOW TO IDENTIFY A GUIDE 165 

I 

CHAPTER IX. 

WINDISCH MATREI — COMFORTABLE QUARTERS — THE GROSS- 
VENEDIGER— A MUTINY — GRUBEN — BLUE TROUT AND 
BROWN — THE CRUCIFIX AT VIRGIN — LETTERS HOME . .188 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER X. 

PAGE 
A PRIMITIVE DISTRICT — A SCANDALOUS PROCEEDING — LIENZ 
— RAILWAYS — OFFICERS OF THE LINE — NIEDERDORF — 
VISITORS' BOOKS — QUAINT ADVERTISEMENTS — THE AM- 
PEZZO VALLEY 214 

CHAPTEE XL 

VETERAN PEDESTRIANS — AMONG THE DOLOMITES — CORTINA — 
THE BUMMELZUG — AN OLD FRIEND— FRANZENSFESTE — 
VERONA — LAKE COMO — LUGANO — A CIRCUS SCENE RE- 
HEARSED— MAGGIORE— THE SIMPLON— GENEVA . . .238 



INTEODUCTION. 



A FEW words regarding the compilation 
of this volume are perhaps necessary. 
Where all have contributed so equally, it 
is invidious to refer to individuals. Still, 
in all fairness, it must be stated that if any 
passages of sentiment are found to grace the 
pages, if any poetic feeling or pathos should 
be discovered, the same are solely and 
entirely due to Green's quill, and, it may 
be added, are copyright. The daring ad- 
ventures and hairbreadth escapes were all 
undertaken by White, whose only privilege 
it was to encounter them ; * while Black's 



* These being strictly personal and somewhat unin- 
teresting, have been omitted. 



INTRODUCTION. 



quarto diary and Brown's note-book have 
furnished details of the route and other 
matters. 

It may be argued by critics that there is 
a certain uneven and irregular style to be 
found throughout the work; but this, it 
must be pointed out, is just the feature of 
the book — the gist of the whole thing, in 
fact. Several minds cannot be engaged 
upon a task without- some impress of them 
remaining behind; and this naturally ac- 
counts for the variation, or, as some might 
call it, limping style, of composition which 
the reader may take, perhaps, for bad 
writing. 



The Tittlebat Club, 
Water Lane, E.O. 



TEAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



CHAPTER I. 

BASLE— LAKE OF CONSTANCE — LINDAU— THE ORIGINATOR OF 
THE TOUR — IMMENSTADT — PLEASURES OF PEDESTRIANS- 
BEER- FEVER — AN OBSTREPEROUS KNAPSACK. 

JDEISEN sieab?" 

" Mais prenez vos billets!" 

" Vere you go to?" 

It was the Basle railway station, and 
Brown had hurried off for a moment to 
purchase tickets for Lindau, leaving his 
three companions at the mercy of half a 
dozen excited porters. That there was 
some reason for this bustle and hubbub, it 
must be admitted. The pedestrians, knap- 
sack on back, had performed a hasty march 
through the town from one terminus to the 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



other ; they arrived late ; they managed to 
come in by a side entrance, and at the 
station, the authorities, besides speaking 
three languages, to suit further all sorts of 
travellers, accommodatingly keep three kinds 
of time — French, German, and Swiss. Frantic 
officials surrounded the Englishmen on all 
sides, and Brown only effected his escape 
after some difficulty. The clerk who sold 
the tickets, or rather his legs, were quickly 
found, but the way to get into the office, 
short of diving under a partition that 
screened the man's body, was the exas- 
perating problem. From one door to an- 
other did Brown rush, only to find room 
after room filled with gruff silver-laced 
officials, and things were coming to a pass, 
when chance suddenly brought the pay 
place into view. But in the meanwhile 
Green, anxious to aid his leader, had dived 
under the vexatious partition, so that when 



A BUSTLE AT BASLE. 



Brown, in a perspiration, was seeking to 
purchase tickets in front, the man's nether 
limbs were being excitedly attacked by Green 
in the rear. The main party the while, 
being weakened by loss of numbers, were in 
a fair way of being worried to death by 
contending nationalities, and poor Black 
and White were not rescued by their 
friends a moment too soon. A rush was 
made for the carriages, the Britons suc- 
ceeded in the assault, and then the station 
was formally closed to the public — a cere- 
mony performed by a tall, bearded official, 
who solemnly shut the middle of three big 
open doors. 

After the storm came a calm. To the 
wild scene of excitement succeeded a quiet 
journey of a dozen hours, and the leisurely 
motion of the train came as a welcome 
relief. The frequent stoppages at the rustic 
stations allowed plenty of time for soothing 

1— % 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



the feelings, as well as studying the man- 
ners and customs of Helvetia, the train 
making its way in a most deliberate, easy- 
going manner. The line of railway, too, 
seemed to be under no restraint, for it 
meandered about just where its own sweet 
will pleased. It left Switzerland for a time 
and passed into the Duchy of Baden, and 
presently came back again among the moun- 
tains. Anon it followed the Ehine, when 
there was anything of interest to be seen, 
like the grand Falls of Schaffhausen, and 
then again it lost itself among fir-clad hills, 
until it turned up once more at the Lake of 
Constance, where passengers to Lindau and 
Germany take boat and exchange the plea- 
sant railway for the still more pleasant 
steamer, lying close by with its steam up 
ready to start. 

The day is very hot, and the placid water 
invitingly suggests coolness and repose. 



LAKE OF CONSTANCE. 



There is not a ripple nor a breath of air ; 
the lake is one glassy expanse, and as the 
prow cuts its way sharply through the 
limpid blue water, it scatters liquid gems 
along its path. The passengers sit list- 
lessly under the awning, or recline at full 
length in the sun upon the packages 
strewn about the deck. The scene is one 
of dreamy inactivity. Scarcely a sound is 
heard beyond the noise of the engines, for 
no one cares to exert himself so far as 
to open his lips, save, perhaps, when 
something of particular interest calls for 
attention. The crew move lazily to and 
fro; the captain from the bridge contem- 
plates vacantly the soft hazy banks on 
either side, and the look-out is fast asleep 
at the prow. The cook prepares dinner 
with the air of a martyr, and passes through 
a fiery ordeal in the galley to very little 
purpose. A more fitting place or season for 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



a noonday's siesta it would be difficult to 
suggest ; even the paddles seem to take up 
the idea, for after a time they too beat lazily 
and with greater deliberation. 

In due time the steamer makes the pretty 
harbour of Lindau, where, after a brief rest, 
railway travelling is resumed for a couple 
of hours. This is the Fatherland at last,, 
and the lofty blue outlines in front are tho 
outposts of the Tyrol. Pine-clad hills and 
undulating pastures, fresh and green, 
succeed the views of lake and mountain as 
the pedestrians approach their destination. 

And here it should be distinctly stated 
that it was Brown who was mainly instru- 
mental in originating the journey about 
to be described. This much must be clearly 
understood at the outset, so that when the 
historical value of these records comes to be 
fully appreciated hereafter, and their merit 
universally acknowledged, there shall be na 



COCKSUREDOM." 



question at all as to the master mind in 
whose brain the idea germinated. This pre- 
liminary announcement is of the utmost 
importance, as all who have any knowledge 
of pedestrian tours will at once admit, for 
when marching in company, too much stress 
cannot be laid upon the matter of priority, 
and each individual traveller is bound to 
assert his claim stoutly and defiantly to any 
discovery or idea he thinks he has made. For 
instance, if Green discovers a distant glacier 
or an old church spire some two minutes 
before the rest, it would be a nice thing 
indeed were friend Black or White after- 
wards to lay claim to having seen them first ; 
or where a short cut has been found to be 
more than usually out of the way, surely 
the first to find out its roundaboutedness 
has a right to say that from the very outset 
he was confident the path taken was wrong. 
"Without the development of this element 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



of positiveness, or more correctly speaking 
" cocksuredom," no party of pedestrian 
tourists could hang together for a single 
day, for the principal cause of bickerings 
and disputes would be wanting ; and in the 
present case it may be safely affirmed that 
it was only by reason of such constant 
interchange of personal opinion, that the 
companions felt an interest in sticking 
together at all, and journeying in compan}^. 

It was Brown then who, after urgent 
solicitations from several members, suggested 
one evening at the Tittlebat Club the 
making up of a party to walk round the 
Gross Glockner. 

" The Gross what ?" had Green asked 
eagerly, being the only one not above 
showing his ignorance. 

" The Gross Glockner," Brown returned. 

"Oh, that?" said Green. "Oh yes, of 
course ; I thought you said somewhere else." 



THE GROSS GLOCKNER. 



And in this way it was settled off-hand 
to go into the Gross Glockner district, but 
where the Gross Glockner was, or of what 
the Gross Glockner consisted, none but the 
proposer had the faintest idea. 

" I suppose," ventured White, carefully 
angling for information, "you'll go by 
Newhaven and Dieppe ?" 

" And stop a night at Eouen ; that's 
what we did when we went to the Pyrenees, 
you know," added Black. 

" Certainly not," replied Brown ; " why, 
that would be losing no end of time." 

White merely said, " Ah ! yes, so it 
would ;" and no more suggestions were 
made. Green, however, distinguished him- 
self once more. " Could the thins: with the 
strange name be up somewhere in Norway ?" 
he thought. So he ventured in an off-hand 
manner, " I should say it would be best to 
go there direct by boat." 



jo TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. ' 

r-^t : 

Brown was in amazement. " By boat I 
Why, man, what on earth do you mean?'" 

And White and Black could contain 
their merriment no longer, but laughed to 
tears at the idea of Green wanting to go all 
the way to the Gross Glockner by steamer. 

" Why, the Gross Glockner is one of the 
highest peaks in the Tyrol, in the midst of 
mountains and glaciers,'' was Brown's re- 
mark. 

"Why, it's hundreds of miles inland," 
said White. » 

u The idea of going there by sea is what 
I like !" gasped Black. And it was some 
time before these two were able to cease 
laughing at Green's mishap — the joke was 

really such a good one. 

* * * * * 

At last the railway journey is brought to 
an end, and Immenstadt is reached, the 
point at which the knapsacks are to be 



DONNING THE KNAPSACK 



donned and walking to commence. Tbe 
train is quitted with a sense of relief, and 
all feel that the time has come for beginning 
the march in real earnest. That strappiug 
on of the knapsacks . and assumption of 
blouses is a serious affair, by no means to 
be regarded with levity, while the adjusting 
of buckles, the slinging round of flasks, and 
the looking to belts and other paraphernalia 
are matters of immense consideration : and 
very important and determined doth the 
Tittlebat Club appear in their walking 
equipment : if only their friends at home 
could have beheld them, the triumph would 
be complete, for the few lookers-on at the 
station fail perhaps to be impressed with 
the proper amount of admiration, and 
wonder, no doubt, what it all means. 

" All ready, now ?" calls Brown, in a sten- 
torian voice. 

Just another tightening of a strap, and 



12 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. . 

the taking-in of another hole in a belt, and 
the tying-up of a bootlace, and the screw- 
ing-up of a flask-stopper (with all dne care, 
caution, and solemnity of course), and the 
travellers stand ready for the road. 

" All ready, now ?" demands Brown, for 
a second time; and then, with shoulders 
squared and heads erect, the party march 
off abreast through the little town. 

The start can scarcely be called a fair 
one though, for at the very outset White 
leads the line by mistake right down a 
bye-lane that leads nowhere : and the en- 
trance being at once barred by wondering 
natives, who followed, curious to find out 
what the travellers wanted to go down 
there for, there is no alternative but to 
scramble ignominiously in single file past a 
row of pigsties, and so into the main road 
again. 

Barring this little mishap, however 



A FALSE START. 13. 

(which Brown, by the way, was quite cer- 
tain would happen, when he saw White 
lead off), there is nothing to stop the 
martial progress, or check the advance of 
the explorers towards the Tyrol. "Was there 
ever such a glorious sight as these stalwart 
Britons on their way to do battle with the 
mountains ? Did the simple folk of Immen- 
stadt ever witness before so bold and deter- 
mined an undertaking ? Did they ever see 
such sturdy pedestrians led by so stalwart 
a mountaineer? So thinks White, as he 
strides on valiantly half a pace in ad- 
vance, and with a swing too that seems 
untiring. Head thrown proudly back, nos- 
trils dilated, and lips pursed up, there 
can be no doubt about his prowess and 
staying qualities, even if these were not 
confirmed by an occasional shake or toss 
of the head very knowing and solemn to 
behold. He certainly has a jaunty, devil- 



i 4 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. ■ 

may-care sort of air about him, lias "White, 
quite awe-inspiring to see. And as he 
glances with dignity to each side of the 
road, his looks seem to say benignantly, 
" Ye good people of Immenstadt" (apostro- 
phizing two little girls dabbling in the 
town fountain), "Ye good people of Immen- 
stadt, who are bred and born here, you may, 
of course, see and admire the mountains as 
much as you will, but it is left to brave 
and energetic Britons — Tittlebatonians 
and the like — to scale and put them under 
their feet. Fear not for us, good people of 
Immenstadt, we shall come to no harm, 
although we are going to do wonderful and 
dangerous things ; even those hazy moun- 
tains you see in the distance yonder will 
not confine us ; no, we are going on right 
past them — on, on, on, until we come to 
the regions of snow and ice. Good-bye, 
good people, and God bless you. We have 



PLEASURES OF PEDESTRIANISM. 15 

no objection to your cheering and throwing 
np your caps, for we really are wonderful 
fellows ; and, although we don't actually tell 
you so, still you can see it by our look, and 
the manner in which we sway about as 
we march along." 

Hurrah for the knapsack ! Who so 
cheery and so light-hearted as the pedes- 
trian as he steps along a pretty lane between 
green hedgerows, or climbs a bit of mountain 
road, and watches the village pictures in 
the valley below ? who so independent and 
happy, when needing a quiet rest he throws 
off his burden, and reclines upon some soft 
slope, or in the deep shadow of the walnut- 
trees that border the path ? Who so care- 
less and free in his actions ? the light weight 
he carries is surely no burden ; and stories 
and anecdotes and songs enliven the way, 
when there are no natural beauties to ad- 
mire. Who so fresh, so joyous, and so 



1 6 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

chatty — especially at the start ? It is sin- 
gular though, that after a few miles there 
is scarcely so much talking and singing as. 
at first ; and the marching, perhaps, is a 
little less like a pendulum movement. A 
weak point here, or a slight pain there, 
develops itself, but you are not tired for all 
that. Not at all : on you go, mile after 
mile, rather silent, and puffing and blowing 
a little, it is true, but footsore and weary I 
— why, who ever heard of such a thing ? 

There is nothing to fear and nothing 
to care for, to speak of, saving — in warm 
weather, mind you — one particular ailment ; 
a failing, in fact, which is as prevalent 
among pedestrians as it is among German 
students. It is a singular sickness, known 
under the name of Bier -durst, or beer-fever ; 
and a word respecting it will not be out of 
place here. The disease is peculiar to 
the Fatherland. In no other country do you 



BEER FEVER. 17 



experience it. A burning thirst gradually 
dries up all the available bodily moisture. 
This thirst will not be cured with water. 
It cries out distinctly for beer ! beer ! and 
one of its worst symptoms is that the patient 
passes into a state of great irritation if the 
beer is drawn with too much head. The 
first mug is swallowed without any effect, 
and the second is ordered with the injunction 
to the doctor — that is, the beer maiden — 
" Liebes Mddchen, nur nicht zu viel Schaum." 
Should the second dose fail to give instant 
relief, a third will be found an unfailing 
remedy, so that the ailment is not after all 
a very serious one, if only promptly and 
properly treated. 

" Nine miles done, and here we are in 
sight of Hinterlangen ; very good marching, 
capital !" exclaims Brown. 

White is no longer half a pace ahead of 
the line ; he evidently has thought better of 

2 



18 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

it, and come to the conclusion that it looks 
bad for any one to be so far in advance of 
the others, and so, for modesty's sake, he 
has dropped back ; nay, his absence of pride 
is such that he prefers to be rather behind 
than in advance of his comrades. 

" A most singular feeling," he presently 
remarks, pulling up short after two or three 
ineffectual spurts to get up. " A most sin- 
gular feeling, do you know, under my arm, 
as if one of the straps were giving way ! I 
should just like to see if it really is the case." 

Green, dear good fellow that he is, volun- 
teers to look. With the greatest alacrity he 
throws off his own dusty knapsack and 
stretches his arms leisurely, as a prelimi- 
nary to the inspection. 

"A great nuisance, having to pull up," 
says Brown, but nevertheless he too is a good 
fellow, and don't object to wait a few mo- 
ments, lying down meanwhile at full length 



OBSTREPEROUS STRAPS. 19 

011 the cool grass with the best grace pos- 
sible. 

A great deal of pulling and stretching 
and contriving is necessary before White's 
knapsack is all right again — Green, in order 
to assist the better, being obliged to lie on 
his back the while. There is nothing really 
important the matter, but you see White's 
shoulders are rather ill-suited to the knap- 
sack, and somehow — one hardly knows how 
to express it — it pulls, or pushes, or does 
something or other which it ought not to 
do, in a most unaccountable manner. Very 
singular; not that the weight is in any 
way cumbersome or tiring, you know, but 
the straps are not exactly what they should 
be. White is a splendid walker, and of 
course not in the least fatigued, and it is 
so annoying, therefore, that the wretched 
leather should cut into his shoulders in 
this absurd fashion. Green's knapsack is 

2—2 



20 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

in capital order, luckily, not a fault to be 
found with it, and lie could go on, he inti- 
mates, for ages without stopping. He never 
was in better training too than at present, 
and therefore, he explains, could sustain any 
amount of fatigue. 

The idea, indeed, of any one being tired, 
after a mere nine -mile walk, is naturally 
quite ridiculous, and all agree, as they stretch 
themselves out comfortably upon the grass, 
that they were never fresher or more 
lively. 

" I'll tell you what, though/' said Green, 
getting up into a sitting posture, " and this 
too is rather singular. My elbow-joint, 
don't you know, that I hurt last year when 
rowing ; I just feel the pain again slightly. 
It is not at all serious, but it is rather 
strange that the pain should come on just 
now." 

This statement, Green volunteers merely 



SAL UTAR Y PRECA UTIONS. 2 1 

as a casual remark, and not of course in any 
way as a matter bearing upon present cir- 
cumstances. He bares his elbow and shows 
it to White, who examines it with a doubtful 
shake of the head. 

Presently Brown starts a proposition, 
which somehow comes quite unexpectedly 
upon everybody. " It would be well, per- 
haps, to stop the night at Hinterlangen and 
go no further till next morning." Nothing 
was so bad, he argued, as over-exertion at 
the first start off. 

Black's experience in the Pyrenees con- 
firmed this view of affairs, but White and 
Green rather demurred to the proposal ; 
they were both so exquisitely fresh, and so 
eager for a good stiff march, that it would 
be a serious disappointment not to go any 
further. However, on second thoughts, it 
would probably be best, after all, they agreed, 
provided they started ever so early next 



22 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

morning for a right down good walk and no 
nonsense about it. 

And so in quite a jovial mood all get 
briskly on their legs again, and step along 
the short distance of road that separates 
them from the village. 




CHAPTEE II. 

HINTERLANGEN— A BENEVOLENT PURPOSE — OBERDORF — THE 
AUSTRIAN FRONTIER— A SPECIFIC AGAINST THE EFFECTS 
OF BEER — REUTTE— STORIES ABOUT ENGLISHMEN. 

SPHERE may be finer country elsewhere 
than that about Hinterlangen, but a 
more smiling and prosperous district it 
would be difficult to find. Not only are 
the cottages and homesteads large and 
well-built, but there pervades an air of 
cleanliness and comfort rarely met with in 
mountain villages. Carefully- tended flower- 
gardens gladden the eye at every turn, and 
over the trimly -kept cottages are trained 
all kinds of creepers and shrubs suggestive 
of sweet odours and cool shade. Gaily- 
painted frescoes are seen upon the shining 
white walls, and clinging around the 



24 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

porches are roses and jasmine bines in full 
blossom. The highly cultivated land pro- 
claims the presence of well-to-do farmers ; 
and the numerous inns in the valley seem 
to tell of their jollity and good living. 

It was at the sign of the Eagle that 
the Tittlebatonians established themselves, 
and very well merited was the patronage 
bestowed. The last Englishman who had 
signed the visitors' book had been gone 
nearly a year ; and judging from his descrip- 
tion in that volume — he was put down 
as a " privateer " by some student of the 
English language — the host was well rid 
of him. Green hazarded an opinion that 
this might account for the lack of spoons in 
the salt-cellars ; but the fallacy of such a 
conclusion was at once pointed out by 
Brown, who explained that salt-spoons on 
the Continent, like top-coats among the 
Ashantees, are articles not in general use. 



A BENEVOLENT PURPOSE. 25- 

Of course so benighted a state of things 
could not fail to be thoroughly discussed, and 
White philanthropically suggested that on 
the return of the party to the centre of 
civilization, meaning London, measures 
should be taken to establish a salt-spoon 
missionary society to lecture upon the pur- 
poses of this domestic instrument through- 
out the land. It is true, as a set-off, big 
egg-cups were invariably used for drinking 
coffee out of in this part of the world ; but 
as Green most cogently remarked, it is diffi- 
cult to see what this has to do with the 
spoon question. 

From Hinterlangen the road steeply in- 
clines through a dark pine forest, and the 
view back at the pretty pastoral valley is 
one that will linger long in the traveller's 
memory. The crucifixes and little white 
chapels so frequently met with harmonize 
well with the landscape, and seem, for the 



26 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

most part, to have been planted with a 
great deal of forethought. An eminence 
which affords a good look-out, a turn in 
the road when a new scene bursts into view, 
the top of a steep ascent when one is in 
need of rest, are the spots chosen for the 
erection of these emblems of religion. Cru- 
cifixes, or niches in the rock, containing 
some religious picture, are the most fre- 
quent ; but occasionally, at every mile or two 
there are little wayside chapels, affording 
room for a dozen or more worshippers ; and 
these are sometimes fitted-up with much 
rustic taste. Such a one is passed on the 
way to Oberdorf, offering the traveller 
friendly shelter from the weather. And it 
is with feelings of disgust that one sees the 
tiny walls covered with the names of brag- 
gart busybodies (thank goodness, none 
were English), who, not content with 
scrawling their dirty autographs over the 



A COMPREHENSIVE SIGNPOST. 27 

altar, had finished up by forcing the poor- 
box. 

It is difficult to say why the sign-post at 
Oberdorf reminds one, all at once, of " Little 
Billee ;" but probably because the informa- 
tion it gives is so very general. "To the 
Tyrol," it says, comprehensively pointing 
up a bye-lane to a country twice as big as 
Switzerland. Then which is the way to 
" North and South Amerikee," and to "Jeru- 
salem and Madagascar ?" and whereabouts is 
Japan and Timbuctoo ? one wants to know. 
If you once begin with generalities, there 
seems to be no stopping. However, if you 
have made up your mind to go to the Tyrol, 
you must take care to follow straight along 
the turning pointed out; where the other 
path, that leads over a gate and across 
a small turnip field, goes to — goodness 
only knows ! But, by the way, it is scarcely 
just, fter all, to cjauarrel with the sign-post 



28 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. ' 

for there are very few of them to be found,, 
and as in the present case it tells all one- 
wants to know, what more N can be desired ? 
So on past Oberdorf, and past the last Bava- 
rian turnpike, differing from other turnpikes 
in the fact that the keeper can lift up or 
pull down the bar without getting out of 
his warm bed — an arrangement deserving 
the notice of all easy-going toll-keepers. 

To go all the way to Austria thirty-six 
times running, within five minutes, is cer- 
tainly quick travelling, but White, for tho 
sole benefit of Mrs. White, who was to be 
acquainted with the fact in the first letter, 
accomplished the journeys well within that 
time ; and any well-meaning friend who 
may inadvertently ask the distinguished 
traveller on his return whether he has ever 
been within the Austrian dominions, is to 
be pitied. If he manages to stem the flood 
of indignation with which he will be en- 



PASSING THE CUSTOMS. 29 

countered, he will be a sensible man, as 
much so perhaps as the Austrian customs' 
officer who wished to examine the knapsacks 
of the party on the frontier. This worthy 
•official insisted that all the little packages 
should be opened one by one, and their 
contents minutely examined before proceed- 
ing further ; and simply because his wishes 
were attended to in every particular, he 
chose to believe that a joke was being 
played upon him. Nothing must do but 
that every packet should be opened and a 
formal inspection made ; and so it was 
unanimously decided that the officer should 
have his own way, although not exactly his 
own way of having it. As if Britons were 
going to let him rummage about in their 
knapsacks just as he pleased! this would 
never do, so his advances were firmly re- 
pelled, until the kits were all of them properly 
ordered for general inspection, and every 



30 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

article had been emptied out and systemati- 
cally arranged upon the grassy slope in 
military order. There was not very much 
to look at, it must be confessed, all said and 
done, and, besides, the linen and wearing 
apparel exhibited were scarcely of a nature 
to be proud of. Nevertheless, the service- 
able old stockings and tumbled night- shirts 
were folded with due care and precision \ 
slippers placed properly right and left, and 
the extra pair of inexpressibles laid at full 
length to show there was no deception. 
Soap, razor, and brush were shown, as were 
also two little fronts and roll of collars. 
Unfortunately, before the complete arrange- 
ment of the articles could be effected to the 
entire satisfaction of the party, the repre- 
sentative of the Austrian empire got tired 
of such elaborate preparations, and retired 
within his stronghold in great dudgeon ; 
and he could, under no circumstances, be pre- 



A DEEP SCHEME. 31 

vailed upon to come out again to make the in- 
spection in the proper official manner. The 
time and trouble incurred in these prelimi- 
nary measures were therefore thrown away, 
and after waiting a considerable time upon 
the railings opposite for the gentleman in 
uniform, the club formally resolved that it 
was useless to delay any longer, and so pro- 
ceeded carefully to repack their property 
and to continue their journey. 

The pancakes and salad, which composed 
the dinner at Nesselwangen, would have 
been passed over without comment, only a 
deep-set scheme on the part of Green and 
White deserves mention, a dodge noteworthy 
on the score of its ingenuity alone. To 
prevent too heavy payment being demanded, 
from the host supposing his guests to be 
English, the proposition was whispered, 
"Why not pretend to be Dutch?" and in 
support of this idea, the gentlemen above 



32 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

named conceived the clever notion of singing 
snatches of "Meynheer Van Dunck" through- 
out the banquet, to impress the waitress, 
who had never probably been beyond her 
native village, with a belief of their Low 
Land nationality. And here just another 
word on the subject of beer drinking, for 
this beverage is so good hereabouts that 
one may feel tempted to indulge too much 
therein. "You should never," said the host, 
in measured terms and with the air of one 
who spoke from dearly-bought experience, 
xc you should never drink off a glass of beer 
after a walk, without taking a little Schnapps 
first of all." This was a mistake which 
many people committed, so a medical man 
had told him, and he had never forgotten the 
warning. Always take a little drop of some- 
thing short before drinking beer, or, if yon 
can't do that — well, cough deliberately three 
times, and the effect will be just the same. 



THE GA CH T PASS. 33 

And so through the pretty Gacht Pass, 
with its sombre green slopes and broad 
meadow land, where the wild blossoms in 
the fields are so bright and plentiful that at 
times one is walking almost breast-high in a 
gay parterre of flowers ; down steep winding 
terraces that afford charming prospects at 
every turn, and along mountain paths with 
frowning black ravines below, so wild and 
precipitous as to impart a fearful fascination 
to the giddy and nervous, and then on by 
smiling white villages, homely and pic- 
turesque. The valley gradually broadens, 
and the rapid torrent changes to a brawling 
river as you come in sight of Eeutte, a 
little market town at the junction of several 
valleys. 

From Eeutte to Lermos, a dozen miles 
or so, the diligence, or Eilwagen, is taken for 
the double purpose of affording a rest and 
accelerating the journey, for Innsbruck and 

3 



34 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

the Grlockner district still lies many miles 
in front. Places are booked at the post- 
office, and the way-bill, or rather receipt, 
made out with due deliberation and serious- 
ness by the spectacled postmaster. The 
big lumbering vehicle only carries three 
passengers, and as the interior is already 
occupied by its complement of two, there is 
but one place left in the coupe beside the 
conductor. This Brown volunteered to take, 
while the other three were carefully wedged 
into a supplementary coach by the guard, 
who was very solicitous indeed that they 
should be firmly fixed therein, lest any 
accident occur from the severe jolting 
and shaking experienced over the moun- 
tain roads. 

The guard enjoyed Brown's company 
immensely, as also his cigars and the con- 
tents of his flask. He had no idea that the 
party behind had any connexion with his 



A CHATTY GUARD. 35 

companion in the coupe, and on one of the 
frequent halts, during which the carriage in 
rear had been carefully inspected, he came 
back laughing so immoderately that Brown 
demanded to be a sharer of the merriment. 
But it was only after great difficulty that 
the cause of it could be made clear, and 
the guard literally choked with laughter 
as he endeavoured to explain, in short 
gasps, what it was all about. 

" They are a comical folk truly, those 
English — ein komiscJics Volk, wa&rhaftiff, ein 
komisches Vbl/c — they tell me they are on a 
pleasure excursion, and they spend all day 
in trudging up and down the mountains." 

Brown agreed that it was a funny thing 
certainly, but then an Englishman's eccen- 
tricity was proverbial. 

" I'll tell you such a good story," said the 
guard, when with his eyes full of tears he 
had coughed himself quiet into a corner of 

3—2. 



36 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

the coupe. "An Englishman came down 
here last year, komischer Kerl he was truly, 
and wanted to go fishing in the lake at 
Hesterang. So away he went to the fish- 
master who rents the water about here, and 
asked how much must be paid for permis- 
sion. Well," continued the guard, his 
voice commencing to shake again with an- 
other fit of laughter that was coming on ; 
" well, the fish-master, of course, thinking 
the Englishman was only joking, told him 
that for a florin a day he might do as he 
liked. Would you believe it; every day, 
for more than a month actually, the English- 
man worked hard from morn till night 
catching fish, and, as I live" — here the 
guard fairly broke out again — "as I live, 
instead of keeping the fish that he caught 
for himself, he used to come regularly and 
give them up ; so the end of it was, that 
the fish-master lay in bed the whole day, 



BRITISH ECCENTRICITY. 



while the Englishman not only went out 
fishing for him, but actually paid a lot of 
florins for being allowed to do the work. 
Ah ! they are komisches Volk truly, those 
Englishmen." 

Brown laughed as much over the joke as 
ever his informant did, and this so encou- 
raged the guard that he launched forth into 
another story, which he prefaced, however, 
with the remark, that he could not actually 
vouch for its accuracy, as he only knew of 
it by hearsay. The story was something as 
follows : — 

An Englishman, it appears, went to an 
hotel in Innsbruck. It is well to note, by 
the way, that most comic stories told by the 
natives of Switzerland and its neighbourhood 
begin with the words "an Englishman/' 
and this of itself is so invariably considered 
the sure sign of a good story that listeners 
at once make ready to hear something 



.38 ' TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

funny. An, Englishman went to an hotel 
in Innsbruck, and on leaving was presented 
with a bill amounting to thirty-six kreuzers 
(nothing is said about the florins), and this 
he refused to pay on the ground that it was 
excessive. " But you must pay it," said 
the host; "the train for Munich starts in 
half an hour, and your luggage shan't 
leave my house." 

"Don't care, alles nichts, alles nichts /" 
said the Englishman, in a temper, sweep- 
ing his arm from right to left in good 
bold Briton style ; "I wont pay thirty-six 
kreuzers; I'll go to the magistrate." 

" The train will leave without you, if you 
do," said the host. 

"Don't care — alles nichts!" replied the 
Englishman, repeating the sweeping action ; 
"alles nichts, I wont pay the thirty-six 
kreuzers." And away he went to the ma- 
gistrate, who decided in the Briton's favour, 



BRITISH OBSTINACY. 39 

and decreed that twenty-four kreuzers was 
a sufficient sum to pay. 

" Ah ! but you have lost your train/' said 
the host, as he received the reduced amount 
with a grin. 

" Alles nichts" said the determined man, 
more determined than ever ; " send my 
luggage to the railway." 

But when he got to the station he was 
informed that there was no train till the 
morning. " Don't care, alles niclds /" still 
pursued the obstinate Briton ; " put on a 
special train directly, here's gold, here's 
money enough," and with that he took out 
a handful of Napoleons, and threw them 
upon the counter. 

The guard would no doubt have con- 
tinued the recital of stories still more won- 
derful, in illustration of the well-known 
obstinacy and wealth of Britons, had not 
one of the party behind walked up — the 



40 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

vehicles were going slowly up hill — and, 
conversing with Brown, unfortunately put 
an end to the fun ; for the guard had little 
to say until they arrived at Lermos, when, 
on parting, he gave Brown his address, in 
case the latter, or any of his dear friends in 
England, might desire to purchase a tame 
chamois which the guard had for sale, and 
which he was willing to part with for a 
mere song — say a few Napoleons. 




CHAPTEE III. 



LERMOS — POLITE SOCIETY — PEIM1TIYE LODGINGS — THE MA- 

RIENBUEG A CLUB MEETING — AN ACCIDENT — RULES 

OP PEDESTRIANISM — POSTING INNSBRUCK. 

"OUT if the guard departed, lie left behind 
him at the inn, where the Eilwagen 
stopped, one of the occupants of the in- 
terior, a Prussian lady of mature age, who 
was good enough to be very kind and 
gracious, because, so it afterwards turned out, 
she had mistaken Anglo-Saxon for French; 
believing the party to be some of her fallen 
foes to whom it was but generous to show 
clemency and forgiveness. The seductive 
and engaging nature of this lady's conver- 
sation, directed from the head of the table 
whence she superintended theTittlebatonians 
with winning politeness, was as unceasing 



42 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

as it was rapid, the most charming super- 
latives being thrown off in quick succession. 
The iDimdersclion and reizend scenery of 
the Tyrol was only equalled by the allerliehsl 
character of the inhabitants, to say nothing 
of the prachtrolles weather just then. • The 
Tyrol could not, of course, be compared to 
Switzerland for some things, for there was 
no Giessbach, no Lake of Geneva, and no 
Jungfrau ; the Black Forest was not, of 
course, in Switzerland, but that was also 
most charming, as likewise the Danube, and 
the Elbe above Dresden; they called it 
Saxon Switzerland, but she, for L her part,, 
much preferred the district around Thuringia, 
although, it was true, they spoke such out- 
rageous German about there that one always 
longed to get back to Hanover and Ham- 
burg, where, by the way, the Prussian 
garrison was making itself very agree- 
able, it was said, and several really nice 



POLITE SOCIETY. 43 

matches had already been made between the 
young military noblemen and the best 
Hamburg families ; and it was whispered 
too that some of the young lieutenants 
there were more closely connected with the 
Imperial Family at Berlin than one chose 
to say, &c. &c. 

During a pause in the conversation, 
Brown came back again to more practical 
matters, and discussing travelling in the 
Tyrol, complained of the difficulty there 
was occasionally of getting meat for dinner 
at the little roadside inns. 

" Oh, it is really too fiircJderlich" said 
the lady with a shudder, unwinding another 
skein of conversation ; "it is really too 
fearful. I am travelling for the very purpose 
of re-establishing my health, and the food 
sometimes set before you. it is impossible to 
eat. When the Eilwagen stopped for 
dinner to-day there was a sort of sweet 



44 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

syrupy mixture for soup that I could not 
to ucli, then some fat veal fried in I don't 
know what, a dish one could scarcely 
look at; then a MeJdspeise, or pancake of 
some kind, which the waitress regarded as 
something quite superior, but which I could 
not eat a mouthful of, while the conductor sat 
near me all the time at the same table and 
devoured everything with the greatest avidity. 
As I told the waitress, really they should 
leave off having such messes and substitute 
some nice wholesome food, or some of the 
dishes one gets at railway stations, or the 
German beer gardens, or at the restaurants 
in Hanover and Hamburg," where every- 
thing, the fair traveller averred, was vorne/wi, 
elegant, and delicat. 

Supper was got through in a very short 
time that night, on account of the early 
retirement of Brown and Black, who were 
taken off by their friends in a state of giddy 



PRIMITIVE LODGINGS. 



45 



excitement. While, on the one hand, these 
two gallants had been endeavouring to 
withstand the German fire and pay some 
attention to the speaker, they had, at the 
same time been badgered all through by 
Green, who, not being sufficiently acquainted 
with the Saxon tongue, importuned the 
two linguists to translate some ardent love 
passages made up by White and himself 
for the benefit of the German Fair. 

The good people at the Post inn in Ler- 
mos have primitive ideas as to the entertain- 
ment of travellers. Like the guards on most 
Continental railways, who seem to have a 
pride in crowding their carriages, and for 
this reason completely fill some of the 
compartments, while others are locked up 
and kept empty, so the host or hostess here 
managed the sleeping accommodation. 
When bedtime came, and the party was 
ushered upstairs, the waitress, leading the 



46 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

way, opened a door, and finding two beds 
therein, out of four, disengaged, at once 
detached two of the travellers to occupy 
them, while the remaining two were put 
into a treble-bedded room, having as yet 
but one occupant. All this was done in a 
straightforward, business-like manner, and 
as there seemed to be no appeal, it only re- 
mained for the pedestrians to take matters 
as they found them. 

A pedestrian has the choice of two ways 
in going to Miemingen on the road to Inns- 
bruck, one by the post road, a most beautiful 
route, and one by the Marienburg, which 
goes over a pass some five thousand feet 
high, and leads direct into the village of 
Obersteig. Naturally enough, with such 
mountaineers as White and Green, the road 
was not to be thought of for a moment, but 
the way over the Marienburg chosen by 
reason of its greater difficulty. Were the 



THE FIRST CLIMB. 47 

hardy climbers, at the first opportunity, to 
show the white feather, and forego the 
glory of shouting "Excelsior?" Perish the 
thought ! awa}^ up the giddy height, to 
conquer or to die. 

It was somewhat in this mood that they 
turned out of the high-road up a steep 
ascent clothed in pines, clambering the 
stony path with a freshness and vigour that 
lasted for fully ten minutes. In fact, the 
whole two hours' ascent would have been 
performed in the same spirit throughout 
had not that treacherous knapsack of 
White's again got out of order; the tire- 
some straps became tightened from some 
unaccountable cause every five minutes, and 
the only way of pressing them back into 
shape was for the wearer to lean the pack 
firmly against a tree every now and then, 
and to wait patiently until the contrivance 
left off hurting. It is needless to say that 



43 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

under such trying circumstances the others, 
to a man, sympathized sincerely with poor 
White, and were indeed so cut up about the 
dear fellow, that they could never look on 
at his suffering except in a sitting posture. 
And in this way they waited, without an 
impatient word on their lips, until the victim 
felt disposed to proceed, although Brown, it 
must be admitted, grumbled a little at the 
" demoralizing" effect of such delays ; and 
Black bore witness that such things never 
occurred when he was in the Pyrenees. 
Green took the matter in very good part, and 
was even so kind as to propose taking a rest, 
if White thought such a proceeding would 
relieve him at all. But to this the suffering 
athlete, as he leaned against a big pine 
trunk quietly smoking " half a pipe," would 
not for a moment consent to ; for, as he said 
very truly, to make a creditable affair of it, 
they ought to proceed as they were doing, 



ON THE HEIGHTS. 49 

and march straight away to the summit 
without resting at all. 

And the feat was performed, too, under 
the regulation time, deducting, of course, 
the hour and a half taken up by White's 
refractory straps. The village of Lermos, 
in the valley below, might have been co- 
vered with a wide-awake, so small did it 
appear, and the little lake by the side of the 
road was a tiny bit of looking-glass, let into 
a cavity among the black fir-trees. Hill 
tops seemed to spring up from everywhere, 
and there was not a flat stretch of ground to 
be seen on any side. Eed Alpine roses and 
blue-eyed forget-me-nots decked the grassy 
mountain-sides, and formed a pretty fore- 
ground to the rugged peaks beyond. 

This being the first grand ascent, a club 
meeting was at once called to celebrate the 
event, and to hear a proposition from the 
valiant White. " We must constitute our- 

4 



50 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

selves a reporting staff, and write a book of 
travels for our friends," he suggested. The 
idea was received with tremendous acclama- 
tion, and carried nem. con. But a knotty 
argument cropped up as to the nature of 
this report. What should be its character ? 
what kind of report was it to be? what 
would the friends like best ? was the book 
to be a grand account of the whole journey, 
or merely a skeleton outline of the tour ? 
was it to be a work of first-class order, or 
only of mediocre quality ; or, as Green 
somewhat vulgarly put it, was the thing to 
be "duffin or good?" Green was of the 
idea that it would turn out "dufnn" after 
all, but this notion was scouted at once, and 
bv a majority it was declared that the ac- 
count of the tour should be a decidedly 
clever production. Under these circum- 
stances, of course, it is merely necessary to 
warn the reader to look out for good things,, 



A CLUB MEETING. 51 

for the resolution, having once been passed, 
it cannot now be rescinded. And here, to 
enliven the next page, there shall be given, 
by way of example, one of Green's jokes — 
the name is mentioned on "cocksuredom" 
principles — to convey some idea of what 
may be anticipated hereafter. It was at first 
decided that the funny part should be left 
out altogether, because, as it was explained 
to Green, other portions of the book will 
read, dull in consequence. As, however, 
Green makes it a point of honour that it be 
inserted, the witticism is here set down; 
only the reader must be pleased to remember 
that if he indulges in a hearty good laugh 
over it, and has, so to speak, a large share 
of merriment on account, he must not mind 
a paragraph or two being a little insipid here- 
after. But here it is, without more ado : — ■ 
Along the road marched the Tittlebato- 
nians on their way to Eeutte. They were 

4-2 



52 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

pressed for time, so they walked on apace 
with firm and steady tread. Green's erratic 
legs, however, despite their owner's constant 
exertions, never could manage to keep the 
step, and although constantly taken to task 
by the others, the gallant gentleman was con- 
tinually out of beat. Now to explain the 
joke about to follow, it is necessary to go 
into the matter somewhat circumstantially, 
and remind the reader that the German, or 
rather French, for road is chaussee (this must 
be borne well in mind, as the point of the 
witticism hangs upon it). The party then 
were marching along the chaussee in their 
accustomed light-hearted manner, singing 
and chatting as humour moved them. They 
were getting perhaps a little tired, for the 
walk was a heavy one, and the pace along 
the chaussee (don't forget chaussee, please, 
or the fun of the thing will be lost) was 
a little less regular than usual. 



VERY FUNNY." 53 



Said Brown to Greeri presently, "Why 
don't you keep step ?" 

Said White, " I really wish to goodness 
you would try to march properly." 

Said Black, "Why don't you chassez 
(be good enough to mark the word), " Why 
don't you chassez, and get on to the other 
foot?" 

Then Green, after a few minutes' pause 

(please to bear in mind the two words, for 

the whole of the witticism depends upon 

them) thus replied, "It seems to me that 

I'm always on the chassez {cliaussee) /" 
* * # * 

The mountain air was so fresh, and there 
was so much of it too, that the halt at the 
top was only a short one, and a retreat 
down hill began without delay. Away go 
the hardy mountaineers helter-skelter down 
the incline, and bump, bump go their knap- 
sacks, so that it is a difficult matter to pull 



54 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

up suddenly. The straps, singularly enough, 
do not hurt going down hill, so the descent 
goes on swiftly over the soft springy turf. 
Down a steep ravine, and past a clump of 
trees, and towards a drinking - trough, 
which Green and White reach after a dead 
heat. 

" A nice place for a rest," says Green ; 
" and here's treasure-trove." And Green 
waves over his head a blackened frying-pan 
of the latest town make. 

"Halves! I book halves !" calls out 
White. 

Green, elated at his discovery, hands the 
frying-pan to White, and both examine it 
with delight, for who would have thought 
of finding an article of this kind so far re- 
moved from the world and from civilization? 
Then White waves it over his head exult- 
ingly, to show the others what luck is in 
store for them. 



A LUCKY FIND.. 55 

And then, for the first time, the fortunate 
couple perceive behind them a low wooden 
hut, at the door of which are standing two 
sturdy shepherds contemplating the scene 
with a serious air. White quietly hands 
hack the frying-pan to Green, as a disin- 
terested clown gives back his half of the 
stolen goods to the pantaloon when a police- 
man appears on the scene, and Green, on 
his part, drops it as if it were a red-hot 
poker ; and the two> having lost all interest 
in the matter, and having meanwhile no- 
thing particular to do, fall to and admire the 
scenery with extraordinary perseverance. 

However, the herdsmen proved to have 
been as much startled as the gallant 
tourists were at the little rencontre, and 
friendship was soon established between 
the parties. Large tubs of milk were, 
brought to refresh the thirsty travellers, 
and the stalwart natives having been pro- 



56 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

vided with cigars and brandy in return, a 
happy party was soon made over a log 
fire in the cabin. Not very communica- 
tive, however, were the hosts, requiring 
evidently a long time to recover their 
astonishment. To Brown's remark that he 
supposed the pass was not much frequented, 
the answer was that, on the contrary, lots 
of people came over the mountains — indeed, 
some one passed nearly every day. And as 
to its being dull and lonely up there, why, 
besides those two, there was a boy in the 
company, just then gone to milk the cows ; 
so that really there could be no complaint 
on the score of isolation. It was an exceed- 
ingly jolly life, indeed, from all accounts, 
because when work was done and you didn't 
care about smoking or talking, you could 
always go to bed, no matter what the time 
of day, and it was difficult to see what more 
was wanted; there was heaps of firewood 



AN ACCIDENT. 57 

and lots of food, and so from June to 
Michaelmas — the period of their sojourn up 
there — the time passed merrily enough. 

A dead halt was imminent at Obersteig, 
for although there were but three miles 
more to Miemingen, Green and his um- 
brella came down so heavily in jumping the 
last brook, that he was put altogether hors 
de combat with a bruised knee, while severe 
internal injury to the ribs at the same time 
befel the umbrella. As no conveyance or 
horse could be obtained to the next village, 
the chances of getting on that afternoon 
seemed very small ; as luck would have it, 
however, while deliberating by the way- 
side, there came up a waggon going to 
Innsbruck, and a little cart or Rumpel- 
karrn attached behind being empty, the 
driver was easily persuaded to allow the 
wounded pedestrians to be deposited therein. 
This was quite an unexpected stroke of 



58 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



fortune, and changed the aspect of affairs in 
a very favourable manner, for now it would 
be possible to reach Innsbruck * the same 
night, and get on to the Ziller Valley with- 
out delay. So forward started the proces- 
sion, the driver in advance of the horses and 
waggon ; then the cart with Green resting 
under his umbrella, like a contented Indian 
nabob, and in rear the line of hardy moun- 
taineers. 

There is a great difference between jour- 
neying scientifically and simply walking 
along au naturel. In the latter case you 
do exactly what you like; while, in the 
other, this is precisely what you don't do. 
Don't let any unsophisticated youth ima- 
gine that he can join a party of thorough- 
going pedestrians without suffering no 
end of hardships; for the endurance of 
these, he should understand, is just the gist 
of the whole matter ; for even if difficulties 



SCIENTIFIC PEDESTRIANISM. 59 

do not exist at the outset, they are speedily 
created by the more strong-minded of the 
party. Poor White, for example, simple- 
hearted fellow that he was, fondly believed, 
when he started, that he need do nothing 
but follow his own sweet will on all occa- 
sions ; that he would rest when tired, drink 
when thirsty, throw off his burden when 
oppressed, resort to his flask when faint, 
and journey on just as fast, or as slow, as 
pleased him. The dear fellow did not know 
Brown; he was not aware that that strict 
Spartan would not only presume to dictate 
measures, but would see that they were 
strictly obeyed. Very early in the journey 
poor White was relieved of his brandy 
flask, which, without more ado, was en- 
trusted to Black, who, from his Pyrenean 
experiences, was supposed to be imbued 
with more strength of mind, and could be 
entrusted with unmeasured cordials ; while 



60 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

the second bottle was carried by Brown him- 
self. This was merely preliminary to other 
decrees ; thus it was declared law that — - 

(1.) The first five miles should be per- 
formed every morning without a pause 
being made, whether boot-laces came un- 
done, or straps proved obstreperous. 

(2 .) It was enjoined that during the march 
no one, on pain of being exposed to loud 
and general execration, was on any account 
to imbibe water from any mountain stream, 
whether under the pretence of moistening 
the lips, taking a nasty taste out of the 
mouth, feeling if the water was really cold, 
or trying if it was of the same kind as that 
met with a short time previously ; excepting 
always when a general halt was made for 
repose or refreshment. 

(3.) No one, on any excuse whatever, was 
to receive a drop of brandy from the flask 
except in the case of urgent necessity ; and 



RULES AND REGULATIONS. 61 

to prevent abuse, the nastiest and most 
unsavoury spirit, or Schnapps, obtainable, 
was always to be carried. 

(4.) Finally, whenever a rest was pro- 
claimed in the middle of the day, its dura- 
tion was to be timed. 

Perhaps Brown was not very far wrong 
when he dictated these rules ; for, if framed 
for no other purpose than to disobey, to do 
this surreptitiously was exquisite enjoy- 
ment. And probably no one was happier 
in evading the law, now and then, when 
unobserved, than the great leader himself, 
whose long, lean figure, could sometimes 
be seen stooping down in the distance, to 
ascertain what it was that made a fountain 
sparkle so in the sunshine. To discover 
and carefully examine — in the cause of 
science, of course- — some natural curiosity 
by the roadside, or to pick a botanical spe- 
cimen, which required no end of circum- 



62 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

spect handling, often caused the lawgiver 
to pause awhile during the forbidden por- 
tion of the journey ; but who could possibly 
cavil at an infraction of a rule under such 
plausible and exceptional circumstances? 

From Miemingen to Innsbruck the way 
is pursued en grand seigneur, by extra post, 
with a pair of horses and postilion in bril- 
liant uniform. There is a train, so Brown 
says, from Innsbruck to the Ziller Valley 
at eight o'clock, and if this were caught a 
whole day would be gained. 

"How long do you allow for doing the 
stage to Telfs ?" asks Brown, of the postilion. 

" An hour and a quarter," is the reply. 

Three silver coins, amounting in all to 
upwards of fivepence, are hereupon thrust 
into the postilion's hand mysteriously, with 
a request not to take longer than the spe- 
cified time if he loves his passengers. 

Now the tipping of a postboy with a 



GRAND DOINGS. 63 

guinea is of very common occurrence in 
English story-books, and the effect pro- 
duced is said to be of a very pronounced 
character ; but it is doubtful whether the 
response made in this instance to largess 
bestowed was ever exceeded in energy. The 
shuffling steeds were actually made to gal- 
lop in really quick time, although this end 
was only attained by frightening the ani- 
mals out of their wits, shouting, halloaing, 
and horn-blowing, the postilion not being 
content until the horses had regularly 
settled down into a wild running-away sort 
of pace. The steeds doing all they were 
able, the driver then did what he could 
upon the horn, and very cleverly indeed 
did he handle the simple instrument. The 
performance consisted in playing short pas- 
sages in a loud key, which were imme- 
diately re-echoed in a softer one, an octave 
higher ; the two strains of music while run- 



64 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

ning one into the other appearing to come 
from different instruments. A charming 
echo-effect was produced, quite startling in 
its effect, and it was very puzzling at first 
to know how the thing was managed. An 
examination of the horn, however, showed 
that in one of the coils, for it was a kind 
of French horn, there was a small hole, 
and the explanation was, that the player 
kept moving his finger on and off this 
aperture, blowing, at the same time, loud 
or soft, as the case might be, and thus pro- 
ducing the near and distant tones. 

At Telfs horses and postilions were 
changed. 

"Shall we renew our extravagance?" 
asked Brown. 

" Wont it be rather expensive work, if 
we go on like this ?" said Black, timidly. 
" You know in the Pyrenees we never did 
this sort of thing." 



"POST HASTE? 65 

"Well, never mind if it is," put in 
White, with the air of a millionaire, full of 
excitement and careless of the consequences. 

"No, never mind, let us get on, hurrah!" 
cried Green. " This is the best fun we've 
had yet. Make him get on — tempt him 
with riches, bribe him with gold, so that he 
gets us there in time. Bestow unbounded 
largess, I say, and dash the consequences." 

So "the result was that another fivepence 
was bestowed in this case also, with an 
effect much the same as before. Four post- 
boys one after another were bribed in this 
way, and on went the party, like true 
Englishmen abroad, rattling through the 
quiet villages; past Zirl, where a stirrup- 
cup of capital white wine was swallowed 
and a further supply of stirrup-cups taken 
into the carriage; past the Calvary moun- 
tain, with its church and fourteen chapels-; 
past the Martinswand of legendary fame, a 

5 



66 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

sheer precipice some thousands of feet high 
overhanging the road ; and into Innshriick 
in capital style, rattling through the 
unevenly paved streets and into the station 
at a glorious trot, with fully half an hour to 
spare — that is to say, there would have been 
half an hour to spare had everything 
coincided with Brown's ideas. It was true 
enough so it turned out that there was a 
train at eight o'clock, only it went in the 
morning instead of in the evening. That's 
alL — nothing more than that. So there re- 
mained under the circumstances simply to 
congratulate Brown, and this was done 
without delay. 

" What's the good of rattling up in this 
insane manner, I should like to know ?" said 
Green, who had quieted down all of a sudden. 

"Just as I said," remarked White, 
incisively ; "I knew from the first we 
shouldn't get the train ; I was sure of it." 



INNSBRUCK. 67 



" Makes us look such fools ; and all the 
money to the postilions thrown away," said 
Black. 

"Yes, eighteenpence gone at one fell 
swoop, out of the common purse," continued 
Green. 

Innsbruck is the capital of the Tyrol. 
As you admire its beautiful position, with 
the lofty mountain walls on either side 
almost overshadowing the wide streets, it is 
a true city of the mountains. The town 
lies on the banks of the Sill, at an elevation 
of 1884 feet above the sea, and in a situation 
of beauty such as few cities in Europe can 
boast of. It is placed . . . . .* 



* This description occupies four sides of one of White's 
letters to his wife, and was afterwards contributed by 
that gentleman for these pages. The document has since 
been found to be from first to last a crib from Murray. 



5—2 



CHAPTEE IV. 

TITLED PERSONAGES — A RAILWAY PICNIC — TYROLESE INNS — 
ZELL IM ZILLER — ZITHER PLAYING — " AMONG THE TYROL 
MOUNTAINS." 

TF the French nation have a reputation for 
politeness, the great Yaterland is second 
to none in obsequiousness. People may 
complain that the Germans are somewhat 
harsh and abrupt in their language; that 
they have no equivalent for the word 
<; sir," or " monsieur," and that they cannot 
round-off brief replies or queries, or what is 
still more unpleasant cannot soften the 
monosyllables " no" and " yes ;" for while a 
Frenchman would protest "Mais, monsieur," 
or an Englishman might remark " Much 
obliged, sir," the German is powerless to 
employ Herr or Mein Herr in this way. But 



TITLED PERSONAGES. 69 

if apparently a little uncouth in this matter, 
how very much more grandiose is your 
Saxon when circumstantially addressing 
any great or little personage. It is not 
only your counts and barons, and military 
men and savants, who come in for titles 
and are alluded to sonorously as der Herr 
Baron von Koeldwethout, or der Herr Major 
von Blitzenstern, or der Herr Professor Doctor 
Krebs, but burghers, tradesmen, and 
servitors, have also their full share of the 
honours. Smith, the butcher, is termed 
Herr Metzgermeister Schmidt, while a deputy 
tax collector is styled Herr Untersteuerein- 
nehmer, and as a matter of course the ladies 
take up the titles, this official's wife rejoices 
in the name of Frau (Inter steuereinnehmerin. 
So the guard of the train — and hence, by the 
way, this digression — is der HerrOberschaffner 
(Mr. Upperguard), and to him it is not 
unpleasant either to be called by his full 



70 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

title ; indeed, if you want anything at any 
time from the inspectors and porters, it is a 
good method to adopt White's plan of 
calling everybody Herr Oherschaffner. If 
you thus acknowledge their superiority and 
exalted standing, they are as a rule quite 
affable, and will unbend so far as to accept 
a cigar or glass of beer when proffered 
them. Only it is well to remember not to 
address the title indiscriminately to any 
official on the platform, as he may be a still 
bigger personage and take the salute as 
anything but a compliment. The same 
rule holds good in hotels. Here the head 
waiter is not unfrequently termed der Herr 
O'berkellner by native guests, and this digni- 
tary again, albeit a personage of tremendous 
distinction, and requiring due respect from 
all common Kellners, acknowledges with 
cheerfulness the superiority of the landlord 
or Herr Patron. Not that these grand 



THE HERR OBERKELLNER, 71 

titles always secure immunity, for one poor 
little half-fledged waiter was remarked in a 
big house at Basle who could never disport 
himself under the portals of the hotel near 
the market-place, without being- disrespect- 
fully alluded to by the boys of the place as 
der Herr Oberkellner von der untern-Stabe 
(the head waiter downstairs). Whether the 
wives of the Herrn Oberhellners and Herrn 
Oberschaffners take up their husbands' title 
is a moot point, but one thing is very 
certain, that too much stress cannot be laid 
upon the fact of a man being Ober or TJnter 
(upper or under), for so long as they hear 
their full titles unctuously pronounced, the 
good people seem to care very little what 
they are called, if only it is by a good 
sonorous title. 

It would be scarcely fair for Englishmen to 
find fault with the railway restaurants in 
Germany, seeing that they are much in ad- 



72 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

vance of such, institutions in this country . 
But we might all take a lesson from the 
Trench in this respect, for the way of 
purveying breakfasts and dinners, for in- 
stance, at Yesoul, on the line from Paris, 
cannot be too highly extolled. Prosperity 
to this great innovation, and long life 
to its founder. How comes it that it has 
not been imitated, after being in existence 
so long? Surely there is no lack of pa- 
tronage on the part of travellers, who thus 
secure one comfortable meal, at any rate, 
between Paris and Basle, with plenty of 
time to eat it in. Three dishes, with des- 
sert and wine, for half-a-crown, is reasonable 
enough, in all conscience ; and the way it 
is served up is simply perfect. The guard 
of the train officiates as head- waiter, and 
takes orders an hour before reaching Vesoul ; 
he telegraphs instructions, and the meals are 
found hot and ready for the traveller on his 



VESOUL DINNERS. 73 

arrival, each dinner being packed in a long 
cylindrical basket, which makes a capital 
table in the carriage. The wicker cylinder 
opens like a rabbit-hutch, and discloses to 
view tier upon tier of tempting dishes, 
which are discussed by the traveller one 
after the other as the train speeds on its 
journey, the empty baskets being subse- 
quently deposited at some convenient station 
for return to Vesoul. The mere circum- 
stance of having some active employment 
in a railway carriage is pleasant enough ; 
but when the employment consists in lei- 
surely eating a good dinner in novel pic-nic 
fashion, the time passes very delightfully 
indeed. What is a dinner at Greenwich 
or at Eichmond compared to this ? How 
can the views, glorious as they are, com- 
pare to the panoramas that here move past 
in rapid succession? At Eichmond, it is 
true, masses of clustering foliage refresh 



74 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

the eye on every side, sweeping down to a 
silver river, with the tiniest of boats moving 
upon its glittering surface ; while at Green- 
wich, again, there are the big Indiamen 
moving into dock, huge screw-colliers and 
paddle-steamers for ever going up and down 
the stream, and loud- puffing steam-launches 
darting in and out between the sailing craft. 
But here, in this cosy little dining-room, 
the scenery is for ever changing, and the eye 
is quite as much charmed as the palate ; for, 
as you lazily munch a savoury pate, or sip 
a glass of cool claret, there pass before you 
in succession, ever changing peeps of some 
of the prettiest country that lies around 
beautiful Alsace. 

Some little practice, however, is neces- 
sary in eating your dinner in this fashion. 
Perhaps the best plan to pursue is that of 
holding the basket firmly between the knees; 
for besides keeping the table steady, it pre- 



FEASTING AND FORAGING. 75 

vents the occurrence of any accident which 
might arise from your companion mistaking 
your basket for his own when passing under 
some of the tunnels or bridges ; drinking 
from the wrong wine-bottle by reason of 
the excessive vibration of the train, or 
abstracting the liver- wing of a fowl through 
absence of mind, are also possible contingen- 
cies in a merry table d'h6te of this sort. Of 
course it is understood that such little 
foraging experiments are made in quite a 
friendly spirit ; but, at the same time, if 
you are hungry it is just as well to repel 
the kindly advances with a little firmness ; 
and the mere expression of an irresistible 
inclination to insert a small fork into the 
forager's waistcoat is usually sufficient to 
persuade him to relinquish his funny in- 
tentions. 

****** 

From Innsbruck to Jenbach, at the en- 



76 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

trance of the Ziller Thai, is but an hour's 
journey by rail, and thence to Zell, at the 
head of the valley, is an easy day's walk. A 
quaint old monastery, enclosing a big grass- 
grown quadrangle, stands at the outlet of 
the valley and constitutes an important land- 
mark, while the slender village steeples, 
with their green spires rising here and there 
above the grey cottage roofs and clumps of 
trees, are pretty characteristics of the scene. 
The features of the valley are soft and 
pastoral, rather than grand and wild, and 
afford therefore a pleasing contrast to much 
of the Tyrolese scenery. The wooden 
architecture of the cottages is wrought in 
a most elaborate style, and the balconies, 
under the over-hanging roofs, are often 
masterpieces of wood-carving. Crowning 
each farmhouse is a quaint belfry, some- 
times fashioned in a most ornamental style, 
and enhancing the general appearance of 



TYROLESE INNS. 77 

the structure. The genuine sugarloaf hat 
and knee-breeches of the Tyrolese, and the 
broad leather belts embroidered all over 
most elaborately are seen here among the 
peasantry, the men, instead of the women, 
seeming to possess all the finery. 

It would be difficult to find a more ro- 
mantic situation than that presented by 
Zell im Ziller, or a more comfortable hostelry 
for a few days' sojourn than the Post 
inn. The Tyrol, it must be confessed, does 
not contain many first-class hotels, but what 
is far more to the purpose, there are capital 
houses of entertainment of an unpretentious 
nature. Thus at Zell in the Ziller valley, 
at Zell am See, at Fuschbad or St. Wolf- 
gang, at Windisch Matrei, and at Nieder- 
bronn, one need not fear for comfortable 
quarters where the host takes a personal 
interest in his guests in good old-fashioned 
style. From the Post inn, there is a won- 



'78 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

derful picture of the village across the rapidly- 
flowing Zill; and from the balcony, made 
pleasant sometimes by strains from the gui- 
tar and zither, there are seen the snow-peaks 
of the Gross Venediger group, which adjoin 
the (Hockner and bar the head of the Ziller 
valley. 

To say that you may spend time pleasantly 
at the Post is to say very little; after 
dinner, or rather supper, the guests' room 
is considered common territory, and the 
grandees of the village help the host — beg 
pardon, der Herr Postmeister — and his 
family to make up a convivial party and 
spend a jolly evening. Then comes the 
time for showing off one's vocal and instru- 
mental accomplishments. The busy little 
waitress, who has been running about all 
day, having attended to your bodily comforts, 
proceeds to do something for your amuse- 



ZITHER PLA Y1NG. 79 

ment. And very nicely and modestly does 
Julie sing the Tyrolese ballads, accompany- 
ing herself with rare skill, sometimes upon 
the zither and sometimes upon the guitar, for 
she is mistress of both instruments. And 
then the kindly landlady—that is, die Frau 
Postmeisterin — joins in a duet, sung with 
taste and feeling enough to satisfy the 
most critical drawing-room audience. Both 
vocalists have indeed excellent voices, and 
they sing moreover with much expression. 
The jodeling is exceedingly clever, and the 
way in which the voice is thrown up into 
the falsetto, which is the peculiar feature 
of Tyrolese singing, and brought down 
again into the natural register, is quite 
artistic. 

The performers had not learned from 
notes, neither could they read music. The 
songs are mostly handed down one to 



8o TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

another viva voce, children learning them 
from infancy. In marching along the valley 
in the morning, hard by a wayside cottage 
were four little children sitting in a waggon 
by the road, singing away with all their 
might. Upon seeing strangers they sud- 
denly stopped, and it required much en- 
couragement before they would go on again. 
"Singt, singt doch, wenn ihr singt, so be- 
kommt ihr Kreuzer," was Brown's exhorta- 
tion, and at last, by dint of a good deal of ur- 
ging on the part of Green, who used his alpen- 
stock as a baton and imitated a jodel as far 
as he could manage it, the little quartette 
was prevailed upon to go on. They sang like 
thrushes, with an extraordinary amount of 
energy ; their tiny voices, having no break, 
would only give an incipient jodel, but the 
performance was most spirited and satisfac- 
tory. And so they were all made happy, 
and their mother into the bargain, with a 



"AMONG THE TYROL MOUNTAINS:' 81 

Kreuzer apiece (about a penny altogether), 
and sent home rejoicing. 

But to return to the Post inn. One 
pretty air that was sung, "Die Berge 
von Tirol" — 

DIE BERGE VON TIROL. 



Voice. 



Piano- 

FOBTE. 



iHte: 



YEy- 



:p=p: 



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g^ 



Son - ne gold'-nen Strahl denkt er an die Sen - ne 

Ja - ger an schon Strauss, steigt glei auf die Al - ma 

Diandl a Bus - serl auf sagt schon's Diandl sei so 



l^ipiaip^i 



a^ 



■&=*=*. 



^PFTiTTTli 



82 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



ritard. 



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y- 1 - 



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rauf sucht den Ja - gers - bua glei auf steigt glei 
gut steck den Strauss mir auf'n Hut sagt schon's 




BE 



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Hut Diandl wie 



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Auf den 
Auf den 
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11 AMONG THE TYROL MOUNTAINS." 83 




-/-•- 



ip=~= 



Ber - gen in Ti - rol 
Ber - gen in Ti - rol 
Ber - gen in Ti - rol 



Diandl 
Diandl 
Diandl 



wie ist mir so 

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TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



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was evidently a great favourite, for the 
audience listened with wrapt attention, and 
encored it more than once during the even- 
ing. One song succeeded another, so that 
the performance became quite a concert. 



WINE AND SONG. 85 

And meanwhile some capital Voslauer, both 
white and red, afforded a solace to thirsty 
souls, and accompanied the zither-playing 
exceedingly well. Not, be it understood, 
that all Tyrolese ballads are sentimental 
and lachrymose, like most mountain ditties • 
on the contrary, there are some of a very 
humorous turn, while others again are com- 
posed apparently for the only purpose of 
frightening people out of their wits. But 
whatever the nature of the song, the 
Voslauer forms a right suitable accom- 
paniment. 

After the singing and playing, hunting 
stories came next in importance, and these 
were told with much circumstance and de- 
scription, for the Zillerthaler, he would 
have you know, is a great sportsman. The 
roebuck and the chamois are the principal 
game, and, as in England, poaching seems 



86 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

to be carried on with a good deal of success, 
keeping up a real excitement among the 
gamekeepers. One would hardly think that 
it would pay a hunter to go an arduous 
mountain excursion for two or three days, 
over crags, rocks, and glaciers, to hunt 
stealthily for chamois ; but so it is, and the 
traps and snares laid for these wily crea- 
tures are said to be most successful in their 
purpose. Some of the snares are so con- 
structed as to put up a signal when a 
chamois is taken, and the poacher has 
simply to look out every morning to see 
whether his trap has acted, while other con- 
trivances again are so fashioned as to catch 
the animal alive without harming him in 
any way. These latter are generally laid 
between walls of rock well known to be the 
constant thoroughfare of the chamois, or 
through which a herd runs when discovered 



HUNTING STORIES. 87 

and driven. But it is, of course, only the 
skilful huntsman and practised mountaineer 
who have a chance of taking chamois in this 
way, and, as might be expected, the occupa- 
tion of the poacher is a most risky and 
dangerous one. 




CHAPTER V. 

THE CAELSSTEG — SKITTLE PLAYING — ADIEU TO ZELL — A 
CALVARY MOUNTAIN — A VILLAGE SCHOOLMASTER — A 
SENNER-HUTTE — THE KRIMML FALLS — NICE LODGERS — 
MITTERSILL — IN MEMORIAM. 

TT is a two hours' walk to the Carlssteg, a 
rough covered bridge (the third from 
Mayerhof), thrown across the foaming 
Zembach as it rushes through a rocky 
mountain gorge. The scenery has been 
compared to that of the Yia Mala ; but 
this will hardly convey a good idea of its 
character. True, there are precipitous 
mountain walls on either side, and a foam- 
ing white torrent, as in the famous pass of 
the Vorder Ehein Valley; but here the 
luxuriant vegetation, and the tremendous 
masses of detached rock through which the 
path leads, are the most remarkable features 



A MOUNTAIN GORGE. 89 

of the route. There is no road up the 
valley, but only a narrow tortuous foot- 
track, which winds in and out among gi- 
gantic boulders, now passing under threaten- 
ing masses of overhanging rock shaped like 
monster grottoes, and now leading through 
shady recesses, the most beautiful fern 
gardens that can be imagined. The sheer 
precipices on either side constitute the 
upper part of the valley a magnificent 
defile, and the snowy peaks beyond are a 
fitting background to the scene. At every 
turn some new point calls for attention ; 
and one is never tired of admiring the grey 
cliffs opposite, so steep and perpendicular 
in places that no foliage can attach itself. 
Up the valley and down the valley the 
view is equally fine; and the varied tints 
of foliage on the bold prominences impart 
an ever-changing charm to the picture. 
It is worthy of remark that at Mayer- 



90 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

hof there is good accommodation for tra- 
vellers who may like to remain within easy 
reach of this fine scenery; and, although 
the club preferred to return to their excellent 
quarters at Zell, it was not before the capa- 
bilities of the local inn and dry skittle- 
ground had been sufficiently tested. Skittles, 
by the way, would seem as favourite a game 
with the Tyrolese as it is with those fortu- 
nate gentry in London who describe them- 
selves as rich legatees, willing to bestow 
their wealth on any countryman who will 
join them in a game. One sees skittle- 
grounds contrived in the most impossible 
and out-of-the-way places; on a country 
road far from a village, or even a hamlet ; 
by the side of a river with nothing but 
a shed or two in its immediate neighbour- 
hood ; and again on the brink of a pre- 
cipice where passers-by are scarce enough, 
let alone skittle-players. The skittles are 



PRIMITIVE SKITTLES. 91 

readily made by sawing up a slender fir- 
tree into lengths of about twelve or fifteen 
inches, and roughly pointing one end of 
the log to represent the top ; while the balls 
employed are generally of wood, fashioned 
more or less in the shape of a sphere, 
although not unfrequently large round 
stones are used instead. Naturally enough 
these wayside skittle-grounds are of a most 
primitive description, but those attached 
to the inns are often very well constructed. 
It appears to be a prevalent custom in 
the Tyrol to present travellers, who have 
sojourned some two or three days at an 
inn, with a bouquet on their departure, the 
flowers being offered by the Kellnerin, or 
waitress, just before leaving. The custom 
is not only pleasant in itself, but has be- 
sides the effect of entirely removing, for 
the instant, the business relations between 
host and guest. It is a kindly token of 



92 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

farewell towards the visitor, and seems to 
place him, for the time being, in the posi- 
tion of a private friend : a position, by the 
way, in which he has all along been re- 
garded by the host and his assistants. To 
speak of the parting between Julie and the 
susceptible Green, and to tell what subse- 
quently became of the faded flowers, would 
be laying bare more than it is desirable 
to make public; neither would it be fair 
to state why that youth, whose knowledge 
of German is very limited, should have 
been so emphatically pronounced, again and 
again, " sehr schlimm" by the fair Kell- 
nerin. Suffice it to say, that an incipient 
scheme on that gentleman's part charitably 
to give his leg another day's rest was 
promptly frustrated by the postmaster, who 
provided a horse for the next day's journey 
with more alacrity than Green bargained 
for. With Brown the leave-taking at Zell 



LOST IN THE WASH. 93 

was likewise a serious matter, although for 
reasons very different to those entertained 
by Green. It has been said, or rather 
inferred, that Brown was inclined to be 
careful in regard to his personal attire, and 
in the hope of shining with increased lustre, 
he had intrusted into the hands of the 
chambermaid his whole stock of linen to be 
got up with superfine care. His feelings may 
be imagined, therefore, when it was found 
that a front and four collars had been mislaid 
— nearly his whole wardrobe, in fact, lost in 
the wash. It was very little to the point to 
be told by Green that an English monarch — 
King John, to wit — had once been placed 
in the same awkward predicament. Brown 
was not to be comforted, and even Julie's 
flowers failed to chase away his gloomy 
thoughts. He was never seen to smile 
again until the company, like good fellows 
that they were, made up between them a 



94 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. - 

fresh trousseau, and presented it with due 
ceremony to the bereaved Adonis. - 

From Zell to Grerlos^and thence over the 
Plattenkogl to Krimml makes a pleasant 
day's walk of about eight hours. The first 
three to Gerlos — a small village with a 
couple of simple inns — is through pine 
forests almost all the way, the path affording 
at times a lovely view of the Ziller Valley, 
stretching as far as the eye can reach. The 
steep ascent at the commencement is marked 
at every short interval with a picture of 
sacred interest, constituting it a Calvary 
mountain. Of these there are many to be 
found in this neighbourhood, and one 
near Mayerhof is well worthy of a visit. 
A chapel is situated on a solitary mound 
standing in the middle of a plain, and up 
this little hill leads a zigzag path. At 
every bend of the road a shrine has been 
built, each containing a well-executed fresco 



A CALVARY MOUNTAIN. 95 

of the various stages of the sufferings of 
Christ antecedent to the crucifixion. The 
chapel itself is dedicated to the sufferings 
and death of the Saviour, and the paintings 
are executed with a degree of art far more 
hefitting the subject than marks most 
embodiments of the superstitious ideas of 
the people hereabouts. Several really good 
(speaking, as before, comparativeIy)paintings 
covered the walls of the little sacred edifice. 
Over the door was an inscription giving the 
date at which the various portions of the 
work were completed (the whole occupied 
some three years and was finished in 1846), 
and underneath the following modest 
request was written : — " Those who have 
contributed to the erection of this memorial 
of the sufferings and death of the Lord, beg 
for themselves from reverent ' visitors a 
Pater Noster and an Ave Maria." 

While on the subject of religious inscrip- 



96 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

tions, by-the-bye, a curious erection may be 
mentioned which was met with in one of 
the villages near Lermos. It was the 
figure of a saint apparently pouring water 
out of a jug upon a burning house. It 
was indeed an image of St. Florian, who is 
supposed to guard his votaries from the 
dangers of conflagrations ; and the saying 
or prayer used by the people runs thus : — 

O holiest Saint Florian, 
Spare thou my house ; 
Let others burn. 

The weather was a little misty on starting 
in the early morning, but nevertheless it 
turned out a fine day. The walk along 
the side of the Heinzenberg, with the 
Gerlos stream rushing rapidly along far 
below, was simply delightfuh A village 
schoolmaster was getting his flock together. 
He paced slowly along, pipe in mouth, and 
in cap and shirt sleeves, while the children 



A VILLAGE SCHOOLMASTER. 97 

scampered about around him. A little 
while afterwards there came along another 
little group. 

" Where are you off to ? — to school ?" 
they were asked by Brown. 

" Yes/' they replied. 

" The master is there, and you will be 
late." 

Probably the pronunciation of this last 
sentence did not approve itself to the 
village intellect, so the warning was repeated 
with rather broader vocalization. 

" The master is there. " 

One little girl suddenly caught the 
meaning. 

" Is' er scho' da," she said, with an 
expression of juvenile terror in her face ; 
and without more ado they ran off scamper- 
ing down the steep path to the village like 
frightened goats. Evidently the virtue of 
punctuality is enforced by the dominie with 

7 



98 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

the cap and pipe, in the mountain village of 
Heinzenberg. 

From Gerlos to the Plattenkogl, the 
country is of a wild, inhospitable character, 
and the path being badly marked, a guide 
is necessary to point out the way. The 
last climb to the crest of the mountain is 
tough work, over ground that might, without 
exaggeration, be called rough and lumpy. 
But those who love snow mountains will 
not regret the trouble of ascending, for the 
frosted peaks and glaciers closing round one 
at every step are wonderful to behold. The 
Dreiherrnspitz, the Gross Yenediger, are 
both visible, and far away in the valley are 
the three gigantic cascades of Krimml. 

Green's horse was on the whole a very 
good charger, although, as it turned out, 
the owner was a far better one, for he de- 
manded and received ten florins for taking 
the gallant equestrian to the top of the 



A DOUGHTY KNIGHT. 99 

Platte. However, the affair was cheap to 
Green, who, as he rode proudly through the 
villages with spear replaced by alpenstock, 
looked a right-trusty knight, barring a little 
untidiness about the bluchers and stockings. 
With the guide's black frieze coat buttoned 
closely around him, for it was very cold, and 
his dark felt hat, he might have been taken 
— at a distance, of course — for one of the 
Black Brunswickers, despite what his com- 
panions, envious of his elevation, said to 
the contrary. A remark about somebody 
resembling " an undertaker with a smack of 
the costermonger," caught Green's ear once, 
though of course they may not have been 
alluding to him. But, truth to tell, the 
pedestrians were rather hard upon poor 
Green, who, riding in front, came in for a 
great share of attention. Even his frequent 
attempts to warm himself, his endeavours to 
chase away the cold by repeated applications 

7—2 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



of the brandy-flask, did not escape their 
criticism, for it led White to remark that if 
matters went on like this, the cavalier must 
shortly exchange his horse for a shutter. 
This occasioned a smart interchange of love 
passages, and but for a sudden downpour 
of rain which effectually put out the brilliant 
flashes of wit, the language might have 
gone far beyond parliamentary limits. 

Fortunately for the travellers there were 
several huts upon the Platte, and in one of 
them a fire was soon set a-blazing by its 
solitary inhabitant, who employed a wooden 
blowpipe some three feet long in lieu of 
bellows. Sitting round the embers, one's 
clothing soon dried, for the current of air, 
already quite perceptible through the rafters 
at ordinary times, became, in the presence 
of a roaring fire, a perfect ventilating shaft. 
Luckily there were half a dozen chimneys, 
so to speak, instead of only one, so that there 



A SENNER-HUTTE, 101 

was no decided direction for the blast to 
take ; otherwise it would have gone hard 
with the stools and tables, let alone the live 
stock, on the mud floor of the cabin, which 
must inevitably have been swept up the 
flue. But even this atmosphere was not 
fresh enough for the Senner, or cowherd, 
for he kept his stock of milk in an icy cellar 
underground ; and the shivering pedestrians 
were regaled to their hearts' content on 
cream ices. In return for his hospitality, 
the man had a taste of whisky proffered 
him, a short harangue upon its superlative 
qualities being first made to convince him 
that it was no common Schnapps, but some- 
thing far beyond that ; indeed such an idea 
was produced upon his mind by Brown's 
long prefatory remarks regarding its strength 
and flavour, that the poor fellow became 
quite nervous over the business, and en- 
treated that as little as possible might be 



102 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

poured out for him lest something wrong 
should happen. After taking the dose, his 
countenance beamed with intense satisfac- 
tion, and it was then disclosed to him that 
the spirit he had been drinking had come 
all the way from Britain. He insisted upon 
parading his whole store of cheese and but- 
ter, and pressed White warmly to take a 
dozen pounds or so of them ; an offer that 
gentleman was compelled to refuse on ac- 
count of the weakness of his straps. 

To walk up the Krimml valley in the 
same way as to the head of the Ziller Thai, 
beyond Mayerhof, makes a capital excur- 
sion ; and in any case the traveller should 
go as far as the cascades, which are but 
half an hour's walk from the village. The 
second fall can be seen in its entirety, and 
consequently shows to the best advantage ; 
but the spray drenches one to the skin 
before it is possible to get very close, while 



THE KRIMML FALLS. 103 

the roaring and thundering of the falling 
water is positively deafening, and scares one 
by its force and power. 

The Krimml falls are probably the finest 
in Germany. The torrent makes three 
successive and gigantic leaps : to reach the 
first and second is a comparatively easy 
job ; but to the third, or highest, a good 
climb has to be made, and it is impossible 
then to approach very near, on account of 
the mass of blinding spray. You may, 
however, get right opposite to the cascade 
by sheltering your body under the lee of a 
large rock, from over the ledge of which 
you venture to peep now and then, encoun- 
tering a driving wind that threatens to 
shave the hair off one's head, and takes 
one's breath away, the force with which 
the cold spray is dashed against the face 
being really inconceivable. 

White and Green, for reasons of their 



104 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

own, went off to explore the falls by them- 
selves, in company of a shepherd's lad, not 
to take care of them, but merely to show 
them the way; and White's account of 
their adventures when he got back was 
something awful to listen to. Unfortu- 
nately he did not transfer the narrative to 
paper, and thus the reader will lose a most 
graphic story; although, considering its 
horrible nature, calculated to make one's 
teeth chatter and blood run cold, he is 
perhaps more to be envied than pitied. 
As far as can be remembered of the ac- 
count, there was somewhere a terrific pre- 
cipice of ugly black rock, at the bottom 
of which could be discerned, if you were 
not too giddy to look down, a seething 
caldron, into which the thundering mass of 
foam and water tumbled ; this was sur- 
rounded, so it appeared, by a scene of ter- 
rible desolation, slimy boulders, dank and 



AN A WFUL AD VENTURE. 105 

wet, affording a sorry foothold to any one 
venturing near the brink of the awful gulf. 
It was not clear how the valiant White 
was enabled to look over into the yawning 
abyss, for no definite details could be ex- 
tracted from the wily adventurer. As far as 
could be made out, however, Green must 
have laid upon his stomach in the " cautious 
crocodile" fashion, and wriggled to the face 
of the cliff, where he held firmly in his 
mouth the toes of White's boots, and the 
latter was thus enabled to project himself 
over the rock, and examine, with compa- 
rative ease, the scene before him. 

A great deal cannot be said for the ac- 
commodation at Krimml. The inn is an 
antique old farmhouse, with a wonderfully 
wrought balcony, albeit at present in a 
very tumbledown condition. But if the 
fare is simple, the charges are not very 
high, and you are well taken care of. The 



106 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

only thing to be borne in mind in places of 
this kind is not to come home too early in 
the day, for time hangs heavy indoors. 
You can retire within an hour of dinner; 
and truly bed is the only warm place after 
sundown, and sleep the only rational amuse- 
ment to be indulged in, the resources at 
one's disposal being very limited. Besides, 
Krimml is essentially a village without 
villagers, and, except on Sundays, the po- 
pulation is confined to a small and select 
company, for whose sole benefit there is a 
big church, a spacious inn, and of course a 
dry skittle-ground. This latter affords some 
amusement of an evening, but just before 
sunset there comes over even the most excited 
players a peculiar feeling, causing them to 
lose all inclination for the game ; and it is 
not long before this falling-off of interest 
is found to be due to excessive cold, which 
persuades one to leave off out-door amuse- 



NICE LODGERS. 107 

merits somewhat brusquely, and to seek 
a more congenial temperature under the 
coverlet. 

If the loving four had a weakness, it 
was certainly that of having a row over the 
beds. Four people naturally enough make 
more noise than one; but even admitting 
this, the matter was scarcely excusable. 
Brown imagined always he had a right to 
choice of quarters ; Black, it appeared, could 
only sleep in the vicinity of a window ; 
Green wouldn't have his back to the light 
on any consideration; and White, bold as 
brass in reality, would not sleep — on prin- 
ciple of course — nearest the door. The con- 
sequence was, that these individual idiosyn- 
crasies frequently necessitated an entire 
rearrangement of the bed furniture ; and 
the host must often have thought, when 
he heard his property being shifted about 
over head, that his temporary lodgers were 



108 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

in the act of moving with their things ; 
while the astonishment of the chambermaid 
on entering with hoots or hot water, and 
contemplating the eccentric changes that 
had been made, was offctimes quite funny to 
behold. It was rarely that the party were 
separated, for at most inns there were 
rooms spacious enough to contain beds for 
all. No sooner, however, were the sleeping 
arrangements completed by the good people 
of the house, and the travellers left to 
themselves, than a general demenagement, 
amid continual wrangling, took place. One 
wanted the window open, another couldn't 
see with the candle so far off, the third 
monopolized all the chairs for his things, 
and the fourth would surreptitiously drink 
up all the fresh water, and put out the 
light before the others were half undressed. 
In Krimml, and other places at a high ele- 
vation, another source of discord arose. It 



A NIGHT A TTA CK. 109 

was excessively cold of a night ; and, conse- 
quently, peculation of bed-covering became 
rife, such depredations leading to skirmishes 
and reprisals in the dark. On one occa- 
sion, when a zither and guitar in the guests' 
room had attracted the attention of three 
of the travellers, White was found dozing 
on his back, with no less than three cover- 
lets stowed away in his bed ; at the foot of 
the couch was his cap and feather, mounted 
upon a tall alpenstock, convenient to look 
upon with pride and satisfaction during his 
waking moments ; while ready to hand was 
the big umbrella of the party in case of 
sudden attack. Such a flagrant case could 
not, of course, be permitted for an instant ; 
and, without more ado, a battle royal was 
at once declared, in the course of which 
the Tittlebat night apparel suffered con- 
siderably. 

It is only the upper part of the Krimml 



no TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

valley that repays walking, for after eight 
or nine miles the road becomes flat and 
swampy. As far as Neukirchen or Bram- 
berg, whence one can usually get a trap to 
Mittersill, the route is exceedingly beautiful, 
and all along there are peeps of the Gross 
Venediger and other snow-hooded peaks. 
Neither is there any lack of entertainment 
on the road, and it is quite surprising how 
many important houses — half farms, half 
inns — there are in the valley. At Wald, at 
Neukirchen, at Bramberg, and other ham- 
lets there is good, if simple, accommodation 
to be had, and if the traveller loves rambling 
over old-fashioned hostelries, let him tarry 
an hour at Bramberg to study the feudal 
courtyard and ruins, and enjoy the magnifi- 
cent group of snow peaks presented to his 
gaze. Mine host is a cheery old fellow, and 
a great personage in the neighbourhood, 
with which he is well acquainted. 



MARKS OF CIVILIZA T10N. 1 1 1 

At Mittersill, the principal village in the 
valley, you come once more into the every- 
day world j and there is an omnibus, or Stett- 
wagen, twice a day to Zell am See. More 
than this, there is a state prison — an unmis- 
takeable mark of civilization — and a garrison 
consisting of three men (one Viennese and 
two Tyrolese, they tell you), so that naturally 
enough Mittersill regards itself with no little 
pride. Once, too, the Emperor visited the 
little unhealthy place, and promised to do 
great things for the inhabitants, and a 
stone even now marks the spot where he 
was generous enough to give vent to his 
good intentions. Whether they were carried 
out or not is scarcely to the purpose, for the 
people are so loyal hereabouts that they are 
quite ready to take the will for the deed. 

The "Votivbild," or "Maeterle," as it is 
termed by the peasantry, is a striking feature 
of the Tyrolese districts. Wherever a fatal 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



accident occurs — and these are in winter not 
rare, unfortunately— the friends of the de- 
ceased set up a little picture on the spot, about 
a foot square, showing, in a graphic manner, 
how the casualty happened ; and generally 
there is appended a request to the passer-by 
to say an "Ave Maria," or " Vater Unser," on 
behalf of the departed. These paintings 
sometimes last fifty or sixty years, and their 
number soon accumulate by the wayside, 
for obviously during this period an accident 
may well happen in every village. The 
pictures are, of course, very crude, but they 
all possess that strange fascination which 
the description of anything horrible always 
excites. Now it is a man being drowned 
in a rapid stream; now, a waggoner being 
crushed by his horses; now, a woman found 
perished in the snow, &c. The ambition of 
the village artist to show every detail of the 
accident is very apparent, and the way in 



IN MEMORIAM. 1 1 3 

which the work is performed in different 
parts of the country affords much scope for 
study. At a point where the road crosses 
the stream near Mittersill, there are no less 
than five of these monumental paintings of 
people drowning, all the sketches bearing a 
different date. The unfortunate victim is 
usually depicted, not merely with a serene 
countenance, but with one betokening per- 
fect indifference to his perilous position, and 
there is painted over his head a little black 
cross to show that his doom is sealed. If 
there are any lookers-on, they are presented 
in holiday attire, regarding the affair quite 
as a matter of course, rather with satisfac- 
tion than otherwise. At Zell am See, there 
is a representation of a boat accident, with 
a number of bodies lying upon the shore, 
the dead being distinguishable from the quick 
by the circumstance that these latter have 
no crosses near them. Sometimes too, in a 

8 



ii 4 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

corner of the painting, is a sketch, of futurity, 
and figures of the Virgin Mary and other 
holy saints receiving the departed souls. 
Thus, at the edge of a deep ravine at Win- 
disch Matrei is the sketch of a boy falling 
headlong down a precipice into the stream 
below, while on the opposite side of the 
bank (in the picture) is shown an angel, 
holding the same little boy by the hand and 
leading him off — none the worse for his fall 
evidently — to heaven, impressing one very 
forcibly with the idea that the land of pro- 
mise is always situated on the other side to 
that on which the spectator stands. 




CHAPTER VI. 

A PRIMITIVE CONVEYANCE — ZELL-AM-SEE — THE TYROLESE 
KELLNEEIN — TO PEEK UP — ST. WOLFGANG — GREEN'S 
ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT. 

rriHE Stellwagen from Mittersill to Zell 

am See is quite a grand affair, 
although it cannot be denied it is a long 
time en route ; but of this it would be un- 
just to complain, seeing that the number of 
passengers it carries is unlimited. The 
amiable brotherhood alone went a good way 
to occupy the vehicle, and the interstices 
were then filled in by divers peasants picked 
up on the road. As it happened to be Sun- 
day, every one was in gala attire, and the 
picturesque and really handsome character 
of some of the costumes was worthy of note. 
The good people one and all acknowledged 

8—2 



n6 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

the aristocratic quality of their foreign com- 
panions, and put on such strict manners in 
consequence that they must have suffered a 
little thereby. Some of them, it is true, were 
under the impression that they had been 
drinking, in which assumption they proved 
to be quite correct, and were occasionally in 
some danger of falling out during a sound 
sleep ; but on the whole they were an affec- 
tionate lot, and the gentlemen who hap- 
pened to be on each side of Brown slumbered 
away peacefully on his shoulders, and could 
not have behaved with more affection if he 
had been their mother. Brown scarcely 
sympathized to the extent he might have 
done, for he sat bolt upright, gazing sternly 
through his eyeglass all the time, and re- 
garded the mountaineers with anything but 
a benevolent countenance. 

There is no hurrying along in these Stell- 
wagens, and that is a great consideration. 



A PRIMITIVE CONVEYANCE. 117 

What is the good of rushing through a 
country like a whirlwind, and tearing up 
the road at a breakneck pace, as if one's very 
existence depended on swiftness alone ? 
What on earth is the use of doing so many 
miles an hour, and cruelly over-driving your 
cattle? Why put your life in danger by 
spanking along at full gallop? There 
is nothing of this in the Stellwagen; 
no risk of smash or collision. You always 
drive along gently and leisurely, and when 
the slightest excuse for a halt arises, if 
it is only for a short tete-a-tete with a 
passing villager, there a pull-up at once 
occurs, and matters are gone fully into. A 
few houses or a hamlet necessitates the 
getting down of the whole party for refresh- 
ment ; and when a change of horses is made, 
three quarters of an hour is quietly passed 
in the pursuit of any pastime the passengers 
choose. There is a simplicity and originality 



u8 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

about this mode of travelling that is quite 
unique, and if regarded only as a change 
you are bound to enjoy it. The driver is 
looked up to with great respect as a very 
big man in these parts. To the casual ob- 
server, however, there was nothing remark- 
able in his character apparently, save that 
once or twice during the journey he ex- 
emplified very correctly the proverb, " Call 
a dog a bad name," by apostrophizing one 
of the horses a blank Frenchman, and then 
proceeding to flog the animal to his entire 
satisfaction. 

The situation of Zell am See is exceed- 
ingly pretty. As you approach, the road runs 
close down to the shore of the lake, and the 
white church and cottages of Zell are seen 
standing out as it were upon a promontory 
jutting far into the water. On each side 
are dark rugged hills rising from the shores, 
and beyond is a rare background of silver- 



" ZELL-B Y- THE-LAKE." i 19 

grey mountains witli the most fantastic out- 
lines. At eventide the charm of these mag- 
nificent crags behind is further heightened 
as the violet haze of sundown envelopes 
them, and then the dainty little town 
appears set in a casket of unrivalled 
splendour. 

From Zell there is constant communica- 
tion with Salzburg in the north, so that the 
town forms a capital entrance or exit to the 
Glockner district. Situated as it is near 
Bad Gastein, the Krimml Falls, and the 
Fusch valley, it makes too a suitable centre 
for excursionists, and the Post inn, if 
modest in its capacity, is very good quarters. 
And while on the subject of inns, something 
deserves to be said on behalf of the neat 
buxom Kelhierinnen, or waitresses, one meets 
everywhere. The Kclhierin is essentially a 
Tyrolese institution ; she may be found 
north of Munich, and as far east as Vienna, 



i2o TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

but there she is simply a damsel a la mode, 
and possesses none of the bright characte- 
ristics of her mountain sister. In the AIu- 
nich and Viennese cafes she is a perfect 
subordinate, and has no more to do than 
execute the orders 'of her employers and 
flirt with the guests ; but here it is quite 
a different matter. Everything is placed 
entirely in her hands and she is in supreme 
command; she receives you and apportions 
the bedrooms, she takes all orders, she sees 
you are properly attended to outside the Gast- 
Stube as inside, she makes out the bills and 
she receives all moneys. She is responsibility 
itself, and the host and even hostess sink 
into insignificance by her side. A neat well- 
fitting skirt, short enough to show her trim 
ankles, is her usual dress, the bodice varying 
in fashion and colour with the district in which 
she lives ; her hair is plaited and gathered 
up in a small knot behind, quite in classic 



DED PHYLLIS. 121 

le, and round the wa isi is _:tached her 
badge of office — a leather courier-bag : 
receive the money. The small >ide 

inn, where an occasional glass of beer i> 
called for, and where the daily takings may 
be calculated in kreuzers, po 
fieri n with cash- bag complete, and 
often the only intelligent person on the 
premises. Pleasant, cheerful, and business- 
like bodies are the he most part, and 
edingly well-informed. Bills are as yet 
rarities in the _ kbourhoods, and the 
account is usually chalked upon a black 
tablet that is brought to the traveller for 
:iun. The sum to be paid by a party 
of four, who were rather lavish on the sub- 
ject of dinner and wine (these two items 
together often making a total of four florins), 
bo large as to dismay the 
poor Kellntrin altogether, and conseque: 
the difficult task of adding up had someti: 



122 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

to be done by the visitors themselves, who 
were the cause of all the trouble. On one oc- 
casion — it was at Zell am See — there being a 
scarcity of Austrian money in the coffers, 
tender was made of an English sovereign, 
as one might do in a big Swiss hotel, and 
this coin the waitress not only recognised at 
once, but valued at its true market price by 
a ready reference to the last Bourse state- 
ment in a Viennese paper. 

A quaint secluded little spot is Zell, 
evidently living on in the same manner as 
it has done for the last couple of centuries, 
a perfect Eip Van Winkle of a place. They 
have simple notions, the honest folk about 
here, and the outward signs prove them 
of a most simple-hearted nature. The 
arrival of the Stellwagen brings everybody 
into the street, and the traveller has then 
a capital opportunity of looking at the 



RUSTIC SIMPLICITY. 123 

pretty costumes, which are plentiful on' 
Sundays or fete da} r s. The blue stockings, 
leather breeches, embroidered belly-bands, 
and sugar-loaf hats decorated with feathers 
and flowers make a smart dress for the men, 
and the girls with their short variegated 
petticoats and neatly braided hair, are not 
less attractive. And you need not so much 
mind about looking at them closely, for on 
their part they take a full share of the 
mutual admiration arrangement, laughing 
good humouredly at the foreigners' strange 
appearance, and pointing out, in loud merry 
voices, to one another any points worthy of 
especial interest in their attire. Under 
such circumstances a tourist cannot but 
hold himself a true philanthropist, giving 
universal pleasure to all around him. 

And the quaint signs and inscriptions in 
the streets — these are worthy of careful 



124 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

study. Here is a hatter's shop with the 
announcement : — 

Wir lieben Gott und lassen Selben walten, 

Wir machen neue Hilt' and farben auch die alten ; 

which done into English doggrel runs — 

We love the Lord, and ever let Him reign, 
We make new bats and dye old ones again. 

Then upon the wooden planks of the 
houses one sees written up inscriptions, 
sometimes covering the whole front of the 
buildiug — sentences in memoriam of deceased 
inmates. To tell the truth this custom has 
a somewhat depressing effect at first, for it 
is not a cheerful idea to make a dwelling 
house do duty for a tombstone. Here is a 
specimen : — 





Jricfcen gntt 


MAR 


IE SCHMIDT, 


Died 


on the lUh May, 1872. 




PRAY FOB, HER. 



A SHORT CUT 125 



The swamp at the southern end of the 
Zell Lake is probably as good a breeding 
ground for adders as there is to be found 
anywhere, and as no necessity exists for 
crossing it to get into the main valley, it is 
very well left alone. As bad luck would 
have it, however, there- were several foot 
paths leading off into it, and this was too 
good an opportunity to be lost by a party 
of pedestrians. One of the most promising 
was at once selected, and within a quarter 
of an hour the Tittle batonians were helplessly 
struggling in a wilderness of tall reeds up 
to their very necks, and in imminent danger 
of being bitten by such stray vipers as 
failed to get out of the way of their 
blundering footsteps. Time and patience, 
however, help wonderfully in matters of 
this kind, and after an hour or two the 
gallant fellows were out again on the high 
road, not such a very great distance from 



126 TRAMPS' IN THE TYROL. 

the spot they left it. A good-looking 
maiden, balancing on her head a curiously 
shaped vessel of water, pointed out the path, 
and after a few recriminatory words of a 
" cocksuredom" character they formed line 
and marched in good style up the Fusch 
valley, one of the prettiest and least known 
districts of the Tyrol. 

That your pedestrian is at times a bit of 
a humbug cannot be denied. When you 
pass him in a carriage, or watch him from 
a window or balcony, as he swings along 
with surprising freshness and energy, you 
even then get an idea somehow that his 
jaunty air and elastic gait are not altogether 
bond-fide ; but it is only on joining the craft 
and getting, as it were, into the secrets 
of freemasonry, that you begin to find 
out all about it. The start is generally 
effected in goo$ order, and the first half 
dozen miles or so are got through in 



BEHIND THE SCENES. 127 

tolerable style, but after that there is a 
looseness, not to say untidiness, about the 
walking. One man will pound away some 
paces ahead, for he knows very well that if 
he dosn't keep in front, he will be hopelessly 
in rear in a very little time, while another 
takes a path by the roadside, looking about 
for fruit or flowers, and marching forward 
in anything but a soldierly manner. The 
third eases his knapsack from one shoulder 
to the other when the straps begin to cut a 
little, and the fourth puts his hat at the 
back of his head and whistles or sings any 
tune he knows, or thinks he does. "What 
is vulgarly termed " all over the shop" 
very well applies to a pedestrian party after 
a dozen miles or so of uphill walking, and 
to tell the truth it looks for the time 
being anything but enjoyment. But don't 
imagine, pray, that it is the lot of the 
spectator to see them in this condition ; do 



128 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

not think for an instant that they are to 
be caught out in this happy-go-lucky state. 
Bless you, a herd of chamois might as 
soon be found dozing on a hill slope as 
a party of pedestrians discovered sprawling 
in this way over the road. No sooner is 
the sound of wheels heard in front or 
behind, or a dwelling-house spied in 
the distance, than a hint to "perk up" 
is passed from mouth to mouth, and the 
whole appearance of the party changes. 
In an instant the pilgrims are at attention, 
marching blithely in step and in careful 
swing. The carriage comes up so suddenly 
that the gay hearted fellows are quite inno- 
cent of its approach, and are, in fact, nearly 
run over, the dear boys, before they have 
time to look up and perceive their danger. 
Maybe, one is chanting a song with a 
merry chorus, to which the others keep 
time, and a second, in all probability — a 



S WEE T SIMPLICITY. 1 29 

simple, guileless youth, this one — is studying 
map and guide book so deeply that he has 
hardly time to look up and return your 
greeting. Always speak in a brisk, hearty 
tone, and wish a pleasant good morning to 
people you meet, is one of the first wrinkles 
to be acquired by a pedestrian, for there is 
nothing like a fresh voice to imply freshness 
of spirit and absence of fatigue. So, as 
you pass, one and all give a spontaneous, 
cheery greeting, leading you to suppose 
that they have walked no distance at all, 
and as you lean back out of window to 
get a last peep at them, they disappear out 
of sight with the lightest hearts and heels 
in the world. 

St. Wolfgang, or Fusch-bad, is probably as 
out-of-the-way a spa as any yet discovered. 
As a rule you can get to watering-places 
easily enough in a carriage with but little 
trouble and fatigue, and to most of them 

9 



130 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

the journey can be undertaken by a sick 
man ; but to get to St. Wolfgang it requires 
sound lungs and a good constitution. An 
invalid who would make the journey must 
necessarily be in robust health, II f aid avoir 
heaucoup de sante pour y guerir, as M. Taine 
would say ; for even if he comes up the 
Fusch valley in a carriage, he cannot get 
a conveyance to the Bad at the top of 
the hill above. Not that it follows, in any 
way, that he must walk up the odd two 
or three thousand feet ; not at all, for as 
the authorities at the Bad will tell you, 
there are abundant facilities of transport. 
There are mules, for instance — the plural 
is used advisedly, because there really are 
two of these animals — one stationed at 
Fusch-bad, and the other to be heard of up 
at Ferleiten, ten miles further up the Fusch 
valley. Carriages, indeed, would be of little 
use here, for there is no proper road com- 



A THLE TIC INVALIDS. 1 3 1 

municating with the valley, and at the spa 
itself above there is scarcely a quarter of a 
mile of level ground where a vehicle could ply. 
With all these difficulties, however, bath- 
ing guests do go to St. Wolfgang, and in 
appreciable numbers too; and all one can 
do therefore under the circumstances, is to 
wonder how they get there. The wild 
ravine, at the head of which the spa is 
built, seems, of all places in the world, the 
least likely to harbour town-bred fashion- 
ables ; and coming suddenly upon paniers 
and flounces of the latest fashion in this 
primitive district, works an impression on 
the mind such as an African traveller 
might feel on finding the notorious water- 
sheds by the source of the Nile strewn with 
empty ginger-beer bottles and sandwich 
papers. There are, it is said, as many as 
ninety visitors at a time in summer in this 
little swallow's nest between the cliffs, the 

9—2 



132 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

whole place consisting of four houses and 
one little shop. A series of whitewashed 
partitions in a wooden shanty are the 
baths ; each apartment is fitted up in a 
most primitive manner, with a huge wash- 
ing-tub standing in the middle of the floor, 
which slopes down towards a gutter run- 
ning up the centre of the room. The 
springs are cold, and have to be heated 
before use ; and are, it is unnecessary to 
state, warranted to heal as many maladies 
as were ever set down for cure by Hoi- 
loway's Pills. 

Paths cut along the mountain-side afford 
grand promenades for the guests, for whose 
benefit seats are provided where there are 
any natural beauties or extensive views to 
admire. The valley of the Fusch is sur- 
passingly beautiful throughout its whole 
length, and nowhere is it seen to such 
advantage as from these walks. Looking 



FOLLOW-MY-LEADER. 133 

towards Salzburg there are still seen the 
craggy outlines behind Zell am See, moun- 
tains in the neighbourhood of the Watz- 
mann and Steinerne Meer; while up the 
valley are the snowy outposts of the Gross 
Glockner and the pass of the Pfandls- 
charte. 

Withal a pleasant spot to tarry at is 
Fusch-bad, and the accommodation at the 
little inn — for native modesty prevented an 
incursion into the Establishment — is good 
enough for anybody. On arrival White 
proudly led the way — somehow White al- 
ways managed to be ahead at the right 
time — in single file straight into the baths, 
to the silent astonishment of the bathing 
guests assembled ; whose surprise was indeed 
only natural, seeing a group of strange 
beings come straight up the hill and march 
without ceremony, one after another, into 
the sacred precincts of the tubbing booth. 



i 3 4 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

Interesting occurrences are rare at St. Wolf- 
gang, no doubt, and the arrival of such out- 
of-the-way -looking objects was obviously a 
cause for excitement. The guests, in amaze- 
ment, watched the procession with bated 
breath, and for a time conversation ceased 
among them, and when the new arri- 
vals entered the washhouse in follow-my- 
leader style, curiosity was strained to the 
utmost. What on earth they wanted in 
there, those good people, the guests could 
not for the life of them divine. However, 
the} r were left to themselves, the eccentric 
beings, and allowed quietly to discover 
their mistake; and presently they reap- 
peared at the door, and, nothing baffled, 
came out in exactly the same order in which 
they had entered. The building opposite 
was next tried, everybody around follow- 
ing closely with their eyes; and here the 
Englishmen were more successful, although, 



A DINNER PARTY. 135 

at the worst, it would not have taken long 
to have made a house-to-house visitation. 

The dinner party at the inn included 
half a dozen rather prim ladies and gentle- 
men, with whom an acquaintance was soon 
struck up. To one young lady in par- 
ticular — in a tightly-fitting dress of maroon, 
with very neat collars and cuffs — Green 
became immensely polite, the few words of 
German that he knew being eked out with 
much skill and cunning. The dishes in 
his neighbourhood were at once monopo- 
lized by him and handed to the fair one, 
who, at first a little coy at the advances of 
the amiable Englishman, soon took matters 
with perfect equanimity. There was, of 
course, no great harm in paying attention 
to so eligible a stranger, only Green was so 
demonstrative in his compliments whenever 
he began, that he always became the centre 
of attraction under such circumstances. 



136 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

Talking in a loud key the whole time, and 
floundering all over the table with his bad 
German and worse French, he monopolized 
everything and everybody, so that one was 
not sorry when dinner ended, and he and 
his charmer went off to continue their tete- 
a-tete under the porch. The girl was cer- 
tainly very intelligent, for she understood 
at once all Green said with a readiness and 
vivacity that was quite astounding. As 
Green remarked at the outset, if he only 
had the benefit of her aid for a few days 
he would be able to speak German with any 
amount cf confidence ; and although the 
reply he received was complimentary in 
every way to the knowledge he already 
possessed, Green was far too modest to 
believe the damsel's flattery. This, by the 
way, was Greens great idea : to ingratiate 
himself with some of the native ladies, and 
in their interesting conversation to pick up 



A ROMANTIC AFFAIR. 137 

as much of the language as he could. As 
he had affirmed all along, there's nothing 
like a woman to help one in a difficulty; 
they are so quick and ready with a sugges- 
tion, and are never at a loss to supply a 
sentence when one is at fault. They seem 
to have the right word always ready to put 
into one's mouth, for they guess before- 
hand what reply will be made to their 
question. It was quite different to speak- 
ing to the blockhead peasantry, who never 
could understand even the most simple 
matter that Green asked them, and who 
usually regarded him first in stolid silence 
and then with idiotic laughter; you had 
no patience with them, they were so down- 
right stupid. 

On the other hand, Green's fair lady 
possessed an intelligence and wit that was 
simply surprising ; and there is no knowing 
how long the gallant fellow would have 



138 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

kept up the conversation, or how far mat- 
ters would have gone, if there had not 
appeared from the doors of the Establish- 
ment a tall, bony gentleman, with a straw 
hat and goatee beard, on whose arm leaned 
a dashing, middle-aged lady. At the sight 
of these Green's fair companion rose sud- 
denly, with the remark, in very good 
English, " I must go now," and fairly ran 
away. She was an American lady's maid. 




CHAPTER VII. 



FERLEITEN — TYROLESE GUIDES — THE PASS OF THE PFANDL- 
SCHARTE — A PICNIC ON THE SNOWFIELDS — THE PASTER- 
ZEN GLACIER — CHAPEL OF ST. BRICCIUS — HEILIGENBLUT 
— DINING IN STATE. 

A LONG- the valley to Ferleiten is a 
delightful stroll of a couple of hours, 
with a broad panorama of snow mountains 
in front, benches being placed at intervals to 
mark the more eligible points of view. On 
the last wooden seat as you turn the corner of 
the valley there is an inscription to the effect 
that it is the first and last peep you will 
get of the Fusch — a warning which every 
traveller will take to heart before proceeding 
further. Then the way becomes a little 
more rugged and difficult, for this is the 
limit of the promenade made for the guests, 
and a little further on the path crosses the 



Ho TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

stream and joins the main thoroughfare up 
the valley. 

It will be difficult to give the reader a true 
idea of Ferleiten, especially when seen under 
the influence of bad weather, for a more 
depressing, God-forsaken scene it is hardly 
possible to conceive. Three or four barn 
buildings, not actually in a tumbledown 
condition, but, at any rate, in a dilapidated 
.state and fast rotting away, must be 
imagined, standing among dirty puddles 
and noisome dunghills. With the excep- 
tion of one, the half-dozen hovels are built 
with their backs to the pathway (it is very 
vquestionable whether they have any fronts), 
and this one, the inn, has a lop-sided and 
worm-eaten old balcony, whence the bleak, 
dreary scene may be viewed in its entirety. 
There is not a sound to be heard, not an 
inhabitant to be seen, and the desolate 
character of the spot gives rise to a sense of 



DOWN IN THE DUMPS. 141 

general depression. What would happen if 
one were detained for more than a night in 
this dull hole, it is im possible to say, for 
the Salle-a-manger is crowded with four 
people in it, while the loft, which is planked 
off into partitions to serve for sleeping 
apartments, possesses but one solitary virtue, 
that of inducing the occupant to rise by 
times in the morning. With all this, how- 
ever, the hostess is a willing, goodnatured 
body, and, in fact, as far as kitchen and 
attendance are concerned, there is no need 
to grumble. Only you are very glad: 
to be off out of the place in the morning, 
and willing to start away at any untimely 
hour that the guide may suggest. To tell the 
truth, Ferleiten is never seen to such advan- 
tage as when, after an hour's climb, you 
look back and see far below you the little 
buildings like toy models set up upon a 
strip of grass-green carpet. 



142 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

In a mountainous country, the pedestrian's 
efforts seem to be confined to running 
valleys to earth, if one may use the expres- 
sion. First of all it was the Ziller valley 
that was treated in this manner, then the 
Gerlos and Krimml valleys, and now a 
dead set is to be made upon the Fusch 
Thai. Let them be ever so long and ever 
so tortuous, they are soon made an end of 
with time and perseverance. The Fusch 
Thai ends in a sharp comb between two 
peaks, termed the Pfandlscharte (some 9000 
feet English), and over this a way leads to 
Heiligenblut by the side of the famed 
Pasterzen glacier. If you take the Johannis 
Hiitte, or hut, on the way at some elevation 
above the glacier whence its whole length 
and full splendour can be seen with advan- 
tage, ten hours' walking is necessary, so 
that the journey may be considered a very 
good day's walk. A second and more easy 



GOVERNMENT GUIDES. 143 

route to Heiligenblut is over the pass of 
the Hochthor. 

The guides in the Gross Glockner district 
are appointed by Government and controlled 
by printed "regulations. The book they 
carry contains the most minute details re- 
garding their duties and obligations, and a 
complete description of the man's appearance 
is entered for the satisfaction of the traveller, 
so that it is a matter of certainty that the 
bearer of the book and licence is their proper 
owner. The particulars were copied out accu- 
rately into Green's note-book, who made it 
his duty to compare them very conscientiously 
with the original, for there was no knowing 
(as he timidly intimated) what might become 
of them among the lonely mountains if they 
trusted to any one whose character did not 
bear the strictest investigation. So to the 
poor guide's dismay, each particular was 
confirmed by Green as far as possible before 



144 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



proceeding, the details given in the book, 
being as under : — 



Name . . . 


A. B. 


Year of birth 


1840. 

• 


Eeligion . 


Catholic. 


Height . . 


middle. 


Face . . . 


long. 


Eyes . . . 


grey. 


Eyebrows 


brown. 


Nose . . . 


pointed. 


Mouth . 


proportionate 


Hair. . . . 


blonde. 


Teeth . . . 


good. 


Beard . . . 


none. 


Particular sign 


none. 



There is something about the goodhearted 
Tyrolese — their simplicity of manner and 
delight in chatting and supplying you with 
information — that contrasts very favourably 
with the manners of the Swiss peasantry. 



THE TYROLESE AT HOME. . 145 

Travelling has become such an institution in 
Helvetia that tourists are simply regarded 
as so much currency in trade, as much as 
possible being obtained out of the animate 
goods, as they pass from hand to hand, as if 
they were bales of cotton or sacks of coffee. 
In the Tyrol, simply perhaps because the 
country is more untravelled, matters are 
widely different. Your Tyrolese host has 
always a friendly interest in your doings, 
,and there are not so many travellers but that 
he can have a personal chat, and give you 
his opinion on the politics of European 
powers. In any Senner-Jtiltte, or shepherd's 
hut, that you enter, you are always welcome, 
and the occupants are in a general way most 
simple and obliging in their relations to 
strangers. A basin, or rather a tub of milk, 
you are always heartily welcome to, and 
often to an unlimited supply of butter and 
cheese besides, any modest gratuity being 

10 



L46 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

accepted with thankfulness. And if yon 
will but condescend to sit down for an hour,, 
the good folks are truly pleased, and while 
sucking quietly at their big pipes, will 
listen with extreme satisfaction and atten- 
tion to any news you may give them. Their 
modest bearing and hospitable character 
prove how glad they are to see you, and 
makes one quite regret when it comes to 
parting again. It is the same if you go 
into a cottage to inquire the way, or ask it 
of some villager ; you are regarded somehow 
as honouring the household or individual in 
the highest degree, and it is with no little 
delight that they give the information asked 
for. Of beggars and cretins the Tyrol is 
singularly free, and this fact alone contributes 
in no little way to the enjoyment of a pedes- 
trian tour. 

A climb of about four hours brings you 
to the snow, and the top of the comb is 



OVER THE PFANDLSCHARTE. 147 

reached in an hour more. There are no 
difficulties to be overcome, and no danger to 
be feared from crevasses. There is one 
broad uninterrupted field of snow before 
you, with undulations as smooth as those 
in any bit of country in England ; it is 
nothing but snow, snow, as far as the eye 
can reach, except where rocky crags, black 
and grim, pierce through and rise above the 
level of the spotless coverlid. As you ar- 
rive at the top, and make your way further 
into this frigid world, the charm becomes 
even greater. The wide expanse of snow- 
fields afford a scene such as one only meets 
with on the higher Alps, and the sharp pre- 
cipitous rocks which rise from the smooth 
white surface, enhancing the purity of the 
snow and ice, enable one to form some sort 
of estimate of distance. In the plains up 
here, you seem at times to be cut off altoge- 
ther from the ordinary world, of which there 

10—2 



148 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

is not a vestige to be seen, for look in what- 
ever direction you will there is nothing but 
one smooth sheet of white, covering every- 
thing but the rocky crags close at hand. 
Until you came up here you had no idea 
that there were so many peaks and promi- 
nences in the whole world, but now the 
earth appears to contain little else ; and as 
for plains and plateaus, their existence cannot 
be believed in for an instant. Mountains, 
big and little, have grown up suddenly on 
all sides during the few hours of your ascent, 
and as if by magic the whole aspect of the 
earth is transformed. 

And this is not the only change that is 
wrought, when, after an arduous climb of 
five hours, you come tired and hungry to 
the top of the Pfandlscharte. The magi- 
cian's wand has done some very practical con- 
juring besides, for it has converted the coarse 
victuals carried by the guide into a repast 



A PICNIC ON THE SNOWFIELDS. 149 

of the most recherche description. What 
on starting had been bat cold flabby veal, 
turned out at lunch to be a sort of galantine 
de veau, while the brown bread, tainted with 
aniseed and fennel, had become equal to the 
best cottage loaf ever baked in an English 
farmhouse. And as to the red wine, old 
Assmannshauser of the finest vintage could 
not have compared with it, and curiously 
enough it was found too to be already iced, 
particularly cool and welcome to a fevered 
palate. Never was there a gayer picnic, 
never a banquet more enjoyable. Some 
granite slabs free from snow, which doubtless 
had served the purpose many times before, 
made capital seats around the dinner table, 
this being covered with a cloth literally as 
white as snow. In such a delightful 
situation, and under such circumstances, it 
was not difficult to raise one's spirits ; and if 
only, as Green suggested, a hot-air apparatus 



ISO TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

could be devised to create a warmer atmo- 
sphere, there would be nothing left to wish 
for. 

To get to the Johannis Hiitte it is neces- 
sary to descend some thousands of feet, and 
mount again, for a deep, precipitous valley 
divides the Pfandlscharte from the Paster- 
zen Glacier. But the labour of making this 
detour is well repaid, for more charming ice 
fields than those which sweep down the side 
and front of the Gross Glockner it is impos- 
sible to imagine. From top to toe you see 
opposite you this peerless mountain of the 
Tyrol, a gigantic cone of pure ice and snow, 
and not alone, but in company of other 
giants. Above the Hiitte, the Pasterzen is 
of a pure virgin white, but below it breaks 
up into huge crystalline masses of translu- 
cent emerald. Big black rocks on either 
side, and patches of blue sky above, contrast 
with the cold lustre of the glistening ice 



THE GLITTERING LAND OF CRYSTALS, iji 

crystals, and enhance their transcendant 
purity; while rays of sunshine, striking 
aslant through a gap in the mountains, cast 
a, band of dazzling brightness across the sea 
of ice. The glacier encircles the rocks at 
one's feet like frozen billows, and one feels 
tempted to descend, as it were, to the beach 
and toy with the glacial water. The pano- 
rama of snow landscape is unbounded, and 
when thus partially illumined by the sun it 
presents a scene of surpassing loveliness. 

Near this spot, and overlooking the snowy 
region he loved so well to explore, is a 
monument to the memory of Karl Hof- 
mann, an enthusiastic mountaineer and 
student of Natural History. For three 
consecutive seasons he devoted himself to 
the exploration of the Grlockner group; 
and a volume has recently been published 
containing an account of his travels and 
that of his companion Stiidl ; the work 



152 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

forming, indeed, the best authority on these 
mountains. Although quite a youth in 
years, he followed out his scheme of inves- 
tigation with singular zeal and ability, and 
set at rest many moot points regarding this 
group of peaks, of which little definite was 
known until recently. Karl Hofmann died 
in 1870, fighting in the ranks at Sedan. 

What a favourable site the foot of this 
glacier would be for a Zermatfc or a Cha- 
mouix ! It is very strange that no canny 
speculator has taken the matter in hand 
already, for the locality is not such an out- 
of-the-way place after all. A couple of 
hours' descent along a good bridle path 
leads one to Heiligenblut, and thence there- 
is a road to Lienz, some twenty miles off, 
where the new Puster Thai railway has a 
station. There are stone quarries in the 
neighbourhood to supply building mate- 
rials ; there is good pasture land for flocks* 



PASTERZEN BAD. 153. 

and the spot is on the thoroughfare of 
peasantry going over the mountains. Con- 
sidered as an eligible situation for tourists, 
it is almost unique. An hotel here would 
shorten the distance to the Fusch and 
Gastein valleys, and render these routes 
within the capacity of moderate travellers ; 
while as a spot to sojourn in for a few days, 
it would be in its way unrivalled. The 
view of the grand Pasterzen of itself is 
worth a journey to see, let alone the glo- 
rious peaks beyond; and the excursions 
that could be undertaken hence within a 
couple of hours or so would satisfy the 
most ardent lovers of ice-scenery. Then 
there are magnificent waterfalls to be seen 
hereabouts, and numberless pretty views 
looking towards Heiligenblut, the torrent 
in the valley appearing like a bright thread 
of silver in the distance, passing over the 
dark green turf, while the hill-tops around 



154 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

are decked with the gayest of wild flowers 
of every form and tint. And if these are 
not attractions enough to secure a full 
attendance of visitors, no doubt a clever 
doctor would very soon be able to find out 
a medical spring of some kind somewhere, 
which would prove efficacious, at any rate, 
for minor ailments, if only, for example, 
to slake a violent thirst. And, judging from 
experience, that the more difficult a spa is 
to get at, the more highly it is prized, there 
would be every prospect of Pasterzen Bad 
becoming at once a favourite watering-place. 
On the way down to Heiligenblut (Holy 
Blood) there is passed the far-famed Bric- 
cius chapel, now a modern white edifice, 
but five years ago an erection almost unique 
of its kind. Situated in a sombre forest of 
pines, the walls so old and crumbling that 
the building had no definite shape, wind 
and weather making way through a rude 



CHAPEL OF ST. BRICCIUS. 155 

thatching of fir-branches, and running 
riot in every corner, the chapel built in 
memory of Saint Briccius was certainly as 
primitive a sacred edifice as any to be found 
in a civilized Christian country. Upon an 
upright board that did duty as an altar- 
piece, was painted a series of rough sketches, 
telling the story of Briccius, and how he 
brought the phial of Holy Blood into that 
remote corner of the world; while a bat- 
tered doll of large dimensions laid aslant 
the paintings represented our Saviour. One 
or two pigmy figures of saints dressed in 
dirty tatters, that showed signs of having 
been tawdry raiment ages ago, found place on 
a worm-eaten plank, or table ; and the whole 
aspect was at once so ancient and forlorn, 
that it seemed to tell of primeval times. Far 
removed from human habitations, the spot 
was rarely visited except by peasants making 
the tedious ascent from the village. 



156 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

Heiligenblut looks very pretty in the 
bright sunshine. The snow-capped, ma- 
jestic Gross Glockner in the background 
stands out vividly against the blue sky; 
while the river Moll dashes along past the 
village at a furious rate, doing its daily 
work of turning numberless little mills 
erected upon its banks, and on every tiny 
tributary of it capable of moving a wheel 
of any dimensions. The pastures are fresh 
and green from recent rains, and the dark 
firs, clothing the rocks to their summits, 
and the universal solitude around, give to 
the scene a sleepy air of repose, contrasting, 
by its quietude, with the restless motion 
of the stream, as it hurries on noisily and 
unceasingly. 

Heiligenblut boasts neither post office 
nor telegraph office. Happy spot ! Where 
seemingly you may have everything done 
for you by machinery without having to 



HEILIGENBLUT. 157 

pay for motive power; for one begins to 
think, from the number of mill-wheels driven 
by the thwirling water, that the denizens 
of this peaceful valley must eat, drink, 
dress, and sleep by machinery ; for such a 
whizzing and whirling and twisting and 
turning never was seen within so limited 
an area. How the butterflies were flitting 
about to be sure in the bright sunlight; 
quite another race of them seemed to live 
on this side of the mountains. Nothing 
worldly here, everything as nature made 
it ; and, in the absence of all authorities, 
letters for home have to be entrusted to 
the fat and good-natured cure of the village, 
who stops in the pastoral work of feeding 
his brood of chickens to receive the missives, 
promising faithfully to carry them down the 
valley to the nearest post station the next 
time his spiritual duties lead him that way. 
You may know Heiligenblut by its big 



158 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

church, which is, however, seen to the best 
advantage from below, with the white 
Glockner peak as a background. The inn 
at Heiligenblut is scarcely an establish- 
ment to be extolled ; but then it may be 
argued that the host is not a proud man, as 
every one must admit who has made his 
acquaintance. He is only happy when in 
a crowded room filled with smokers ; and 
from his appearance appears to be a firm 
believer in the purifying qualities of tobacco 
fumes as compared with soap and water. 
But one must not be too hard upon the 
hostelry, for the sleeping accommodation is 
clean and good, and of the food there is 
little to complain. 

But there is one important matter to 
which, by some unaccountable oversight, no 
allusion has yet been made. It is the ele- 
gant and fashionable appearance of the 
Tittlebat Club when they really desired to 



IN SILK A TTIRE. 159 

come out strong. It was not often they 
evinced a desire to eclipse their fellow- 
creatures, but vanity is pardonable under 
some circumstances. It is all very well 
to do the bold Briton occasionally, and 
to show off in hob-nail boots and rough- 
and-ready attire, but a time comes now 
and again when you get a sneaking desire 
to take your share in the general parade 
which takes place, at dinner time generally, 
among tourists and visitors. Be it known 
then that each man carried at his back, 
made fast by a belt around his waist, a 
diminutive sort of pillow-case, made of 
thin waterproof, which served to keep 
from damp and damage the tourist's best 
coat, a garment of trim cut and costly 
texture, destined at well-chosen times to 
provoke envy in the eyes of the male, and 
to soften the heart and awaken the sym- 
pathies of the fairer sex. "When this coat 



160 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

was worn in the railway, or whilst travel- 
ling, it was scrupulously covered, by Brown's 
orders, with the blouse or dust-coat that 
served for walking in, so that its appear- 
ance should not suffer from rough usage. 
Besides this, there was a second pair of 
nether garments to be found rolled up in 
each knapsack, and thus a complete ward- 
robe was at hand. When a halt was made 
for the night at a more important inn than 
usual, or where there was a sufficiently 
large audience of visitors as to make it 
worth while, word was quietly passed 
to assume " Staats-anzug " (state attire), 
which meant that instead of appearing in 
their shabby marching dress, the Tittlebats 
were to bloom forth in their grander suit 
of raiment, decked with every ornament 
they possessed, and accoutred to the very 
utmost of their power. 

But the reader does not yet know all. 



A PEDESTRIAN'S WARDROBE. 161 

By cunning pre-arrangement it was deter- 
mined that in each knapsack should be con- 
tained two white linen fronts, and it was 
these latter that put the last finishing touch 
to the already very perfect costume. The 
fronts were not, it must be conceded, very 
extensive, for altogether it is questionable 
whether the whole party exhibited between 
them at any time a full square foot of linen ; 
but then if waistcoats are made to button a 
little high, and the wearer keeps moving 
briskly about, the effect produced is not so 
bad after all. Brown and Black, the two 
exquisites of the party, went so far as to 
bring cuffs as well — big stiffly- starched ones 
too — and on this account precedence of 
entree into the guests'-room was accorded 
them, for by sauntering in some five minutes 
beforehand, they proved quite sufficient to 
take the edge off any curiosity that those 
assembled might feel, and the later arrivals 

11 



1 62 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

escaped less observed. Indeed the effect of 
Brown's broad wristbands, when with a 
jerk of the arm straight from the shoulder 
they were pulled out and shown to their 
full advantage, and aided by a sweeping 
glance through his eyeglass — was simply 
invincible ; and many a Teuton maid and 
Italian signora bowed before the leader's 
omnipotent sway. And, be it borne in 
mind, the conquest on Brown's part was all 
the more creditable from the fact of his 
resources having been seriously crippled, for 
as already related, a large portion of his kit 
had parted company early in the tour ; and, 
accordingly, the straits to which the Adonis 
was put occasionally were very severe. The 
remainder of his effects he was naturally 
enough very loth to trust in the hands of 
an hotel laundress, and consequently much 
of his spare time during the midday halt 
was devoted to the "getting up" of his 



" THE FLA G THA T BRA VED." 163 

linen. After doing the washing in some 
convenient brook, a stone placed in the 
sun was constituted a flat-iron, a mangle 
being ingeniously contrived by rolling the 
article round a smooth bit of wood and 
thumping it in the manner of local washer- 
women. But of all the devices originated 
by Brown, that carried out with his hand- 
kerchief was the best. Only one beautiful 
soft white cambric did he possess, that re- 
mained doubled up in its pristine folds as it 
had come from the laundress at home ; and 
to this last emblem of purity friend Brown 
stuck with all the tenacity of a wounded 
man to a flag of truce. It was his last hope 
^the only tie that bound him to fashion 
and gentility. On entering the Guest- 
room of an evening in his well-known 
grand and lofty style, this remnant of 
magnificence was taken from the pocket 
and shaken out, so to speak, in the faces 

11—2 



1 64 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

of the company, and it was only after the 
effect had been sufficiently and fully appre- 
ciated by all present that the ornament was 
clandestinely refolded, precisely as before, 
and returned to the owner's pocket, to be 
again employed in the same exulting man- 
ner on the next occasion. It was astonish- 
ing how well that handkerchief kept, con- 
sidering the duty it did every night ; and 
really, without you watched the same very 
narrowly — and Brown took good care } r ou 
shouldn't, by waving the symbol of gentility 
only from afar — the effect as a whole was 
most finished and natural. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

HEILIGENBLUT — THE STORY OF ST. BRICCIUS — HOW TO PRE- 
SERVE A SHRINE — THE CAT'S-WALK — THE GLOCKNER 
GROUP — KALS — MAKING FRIENDS WITH A COUNTESS — 
HOW TO IDENTIFY A GUIDE. 

rFHE church at Heiligenblut is well worth 
a visit, and from the churchyard a mag- 
nificent view is seen up and down the valley, 
with the river Moll speeding on its way 
as fast as it can. One should not omit to 
go inio the church and examine it tho- 
roughly, for the building is one of the most 
ancient piles to be seen in the Tyrol. It has 
a history of its own too about St. Briccius, 
the worthy knight who lies buried within 
its walls. The story goes something as 
follows : — 

Once upon a time in the reign of the 
mighty Emperor Leo, there sojourned at 



1 66 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

Constantinople a goodly Christian knight 
called Briccius. He had come from Den- 
mark to join the Crusades, and he was bold 
and brave, and served the Emperor faith- 
fully. But a time came when Briccius felt 
called upon to return to his own country, 
and with reluctance he told his august 
master of his intention to depart. As a 
reward for past services he was directed to 
choose among all the Emperors possessions 
anything he might wish to have. Now 
Briccius knew that there existed among the 
holy relics stored up in the palace a certain 
phial of holy blood prized beyond measure, 
and this he had often desired to possess. 
The Emperor knew nothing of Briccius* 
great object, however, and in directing the 
knight to make selection from the treasures, 
was ignorant that the existence of the relic 
was known to him. So when that worthy 
soldier waited upon his master one day and 



THE STORY OF ST BRICCIUS. 167 

said he had made up his mind and wanted 
the phial the monarch was sadly tempted 
to break his word. Still Briccius was allowed 
to have the relic, and he journeyed day and 
night to get back to his native land, and 
place the precious gift in safe keeping. 
And here it is well to state — although this 
takes off much of the interest in the story — 
that the holy blood contained in the bottle 
was not that of Christ, as one might 
naturally suppose, but had been obtained 
in a most extraordinary manner from a 
crucifix that was speared through and 
through by an unbelieving Jew, and from 
which blood had spirted on the infliction of 
such insult. The Jew, it is affirmed, by the 
way, was converted at once by this sign, and 
became ever after a good Christian. 

The knight with his trust journeyed on, 
his way beset with innumerable difficulties 
until he neared the Gross Glockner. He 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



was not, however, destined to end his travels 
in peace, for some of the Emperor's subjects, 
maddened by the loss of the holy relic, 
pursued the poor knight without ceasing, 
and to prevent the prize being taken from 
him, he resolved to secret it in his body. 
Had he hidden the phial in his wallet or 
among his garments, it would, of course, 
have been easily discovered, so, martyr-like, 
he cut a hole in the calf of his leg and 
hid away the bottle in the cavity. But 
he had not gone far before his strength 
failed him, and, unable longer to bear the 
pain of his wound and the severe fatigue, he 
sank down and died on the roadside. It 
was here that some peasants discovered him, 
and finding he was beyond hope of recovery, 
they buried the corpse deep under the 
sod near the spot where the Briccius 
chapel now stands. But before very long 
there appeared above ground, much to the 



THE STORY OF ST. BRICCIUS. 169 

astonishment of the good-natured sextons, 
the leg of the poor restless pilgrim, whose 
body knew no peace in its resting-place. 
Again was the body buried properly, and 
soon afterwards there came up through 
the snow that covered the turf, three ears 
of corn borne upon three slender stems, 
once more calling attention to the godly 
knight that lay buried beneath. 

The grandees of the district were here- 
upon consulted, and they repaired to the 
spot to witness the wonderful miracle. 
With the aid of a waggon and a pair of 
oxen the body was brought down into the 
valley, and behold, when they came to the 
little hamlet, which is now called Heiligen- 
blut, the beasts stopped and refused to move 
a step further. So all that remained of poor 
Briccius was taken into the chapel, and the 
holy relic was then found secreted in the leg. 
A church was founded to commemorate the 



170 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

event, and within its precincts the Christian 
knight was laid to rest, while the holy 
phial and the ears of corn were preserved 
in proof of the circumstances. Subsequently 
a more lofty and extensive edifice was reared, 
containing a most highly wrought altar- 
piece, so elaborate in design and execution 
that a long period of years must have been 
necessary for its preparation; around the 
handsome interior, which, considering the 
insignificance of the village, is really of 
magnificent proportions, are paintings de- 
scriptive of the journey of Briccius, and 
two organs, both good instruments in their 
wajr, are placed opposite the altar. And 
underneath, forming the crypt, is to be seen 
the original little church containing the 
tomb of Briccius, while in a glass case one 
may see treasured up the three ears of corn, 
curiously enough as bright and golden as if 
they had been gathered yesterday. 



HOW TO PRESERVE A SHRINE. 171 



One circumstance in connexion with the 
grave of Briccius is worth noting, if only 
to supply guardians of similar shrines with 
a hint how to keep their precious charges 
intact. The wooden casing over the tomb 
is said to ( be the third already, the two 
former having been chipped up and carried 
away piecemeal by curiosity collectors. Now 
the present guardians of the tomb happen 
to be sensible men ; and being perfectly 
aware that, do what they will it is impos- 
sible to prevent depredations on the part of 
visitors, and being at the same time loth 
that the tomb should suffer, they have 
placed, in a corner convenient to hand, a 
log of wood, of the same kind as that used 
for making the monument ; and from this 
bit of timber relic hunters are invited to 
cut a slice for taking home with them. 
There it stands in a corner near the saint's 
grave, in quite a tempting position, so that 



172 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

•all who feel an itching sensation coming 
over them to whittle at something with a 
pocket-knife, may embrace the opportunity 
on the spot. 

" A sad story/' said Green, when at last 
■every ramification of the history had been 
explained by an old peasant who acted as 
showman. 

" He could not have been much of a 
pedestrian," was White's opinion, "what- 
ever else he might have been. If he had 
a long journey before him, he might have 
known that cutting a big hole in his leg 
would interfere with his walking, especially 
over such country as this." 

" But what business he had to come all 
this distance out of the way for, is what I 
should like to know; as if Heiligenblut 
were on the highway between Constan- 
tinople and Copenhagen," said Brown, se- 
verely. 



BRICCIUS AS A PEDESTRIAN. 173- 

"He might just as well have crossed over 
the Pyrenees," added Black. 

" If he had only chosen the way across 
the Hochthor, and not come round by the 
Pfandlscharte, he would probably have been 
all right/' said White. "It was there he 
made the mistake, I think." 

"Ah, and he got stopping on the way 
continually, I shouldn't wonder ! " added 
Green. " It was that, and drinking at 
every stream he came across, that knocked 
him up." 

So poor Briccius obtained little sympathy 
from the Tittlebatonians, who one and all 
were disgusted at his efforts as a pedes- 
trian. 

To get from Heiligenblut to Kals and 
Windisch Matrei, a guide is again neces- 
sary, for in some places the path is lost 
altogether ; and besides, if you go by the 
very shortest way, it is quite enough walking 



174 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

for one day. It is a famous tour, this journey 
to Matrei, for Nature on such a grand scale 
as hereabouts will impress itself on any mind. 
At one point you are almost under the 
shadow of the Gross Grlockner, whose snowy 
slopes are within half an hour's walk, for 
the Berger Thorl, oyer which the way lies, 
is in reality a shoulder of the big mountain. 
You come straight upon the cluster of 
frosted peaks quite unexpectedly, a gap in 
the mountain all at once exhibiting them 
to you, seemingly within stone's throw. It 
is as if you have been searching everywhere 
for them, as in a game of hide-and-seek, 
looking high and low, round this moun- 
tain and down that valley, until at last 
you have hemmed them in from further 
escape, and find the big white giants all 
huddled together in a corner. One feels 
impelled to call out, " So here you are, are 
you? you're found at last anyhow;" and 



THE CATS-WALK. 175 

tempted to urge one's companions to come 
on quick to look at them, for fear lest they 
should run away again. 

The route from Heiligenblut leads up 
the valley and to the left across the Moll, 
the steep pathway where it bends round 
the side of the mountain being termed the 
Katzensteig, or " Cat's- walk." It is a nasty 
bit of climbing along this cat's- walk, for in 
some places the slippery rock, scarcely 
affording foothold, slope persistently the 
wrong way towards a precipitous ravine, 
whence comes the roaring of a torrent from 
whom no mercy need be expected by an 
unfortunate traveller. The Letter Hutte, a 
couple of hours' walk from the village, is 
used as a halting-place by mountaineers 
desirous of scaling the Gross Glockner ; and 
here a goodly supply of milk, if nothing 
else, can be obtained. Thence to the top 
of the pass, over loose rocks and soft snow, 



176 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

is about two hours more ; and here it is 
that the finest views are obtained. Let the 
traveller be in no hurry to descend, for it 
will be a long time before he has such a 
fine sight so near him again. The Berger 
Thorl is just what a pass should be — a 
perceptible niche in a big mountain wall 
cut seemingly by an engineer, if one could 
only imagine so gigantic an undertaking ; 
and it is, as you pass through this portal, 
that the magnificent peeps of the Grlockner 
group, and of the charming pastoral valley 
of Kals in front, burst upon yon. Thence 
it goes steeply down hill into Kals, whose 
church spire is just visible over a black 
ridge of fir trees. 

There are two inns at Kals, but neither 
of them is pleasant enough to invite one 
to tarry long, except in the case of those 
desirous of ascending the mountains of the 
Glockner group. Brown, on entering one 



A KINDL Y RE CEP TION. 1 77 

of these inns, was met on the threshold by 
a dignified lady in a round hat, whom he 
asked — after the usual salutation, and with 
some misgivings as to whether she was the 
landlady — if the valiant Tittlebats could 
rest there and get something to eat. To 
Brown's surprise, she forthwith claimed ac- 
quaintance, and at once put herself upon 
friendly terms with the whole of the party. 
To this proceeding there was, of course, no 
objection, only truth necessitated the asser- 
tion — which Green, as an authority on the 
subject of the fair sex, confirmed — that her 
face was unfamiliar to the members of the 
club. 

"Whatever the dear creature means, I 

can't make out," said Green, watching his 

leader and the round hat in conversation. 

The good lady was not to be shaken off. 

"Dear, dear, how heated you all are with 

your exertions ; had we not better shut the 

12 



178 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

window lest you take cold ; and no umbrella, 
too." For Green had delegated his instru- 
ment to the guide. 

There was another tourist present, an 
Austrian, in knickerbockers and stockings, 
and grey jacket turned up with the conven- 
tional green facings, and a sugar-loaf hat 
decorated with Tyrol ese flowers ; and to 
him the lady referred as to whether it was 
not a long way for the pedestrians to have 
come from Heiligenblut. But this gentle- 
man thought the feat to be anything but 
noteworthy, and in fact expressed himself to 
that effect, poohpoohing the Englishmen's 
deeds in measured and pompous tones. The 
reason of this presently appeared, for it 
turned out that the great man was bent 
upon the ascent of the Gross Glockner itself, 
and anything less hazardous was therefore, 
naturally enough in his present state of 
mind, not worth mentioning. Indeed, he 



A LITTLE COLD WATER. 179 

took no further heed of the new arrivals, 
but turned to the window to converse with 
his guide and to superintend the harnessing 
of a small boy who was to supply the motive 
power for the transport of provisions; and 
it was not until he had seen this victim 
securely strapped, Mazeppa-like, to an enor- 
mous basket, and weighted to within an 
inch of his life, that he turned round again 
to see what effect such important arrange- 
ments had worked upon the Englishmen. 

White was by no means disposed to take 
matters quietly, and when conversation was 
resumed affairs began to wax warm between 
the contending parties ; the German moun- 
taineer taking an early opportunity to leave 
the room to consult further with his guides, 
and to ascertain for a fact whether the boy 
was still alive. It was then explained, for 
the enlightenment of the lady, that although 
a very good half- day's marcli had been ac- 

12—2 



180 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

complished, the appearance of profuse per- 
spiration, which bedewed the heads of all, 
was not the result of superhuman efforts as 
she might suppose, but simply to their 
having been ducked just then in a stream of 
cold water outside. 

The lady was shocked. She knew a gen- 
tleman — he was a count — who had once, 
only once, put his valuable headpiece into 
cold water, and he had immediately turned 
mad. She did not, of course, desire to give 
cause for anxiety, but what she had stated 
was a fact. As the result was different on 
this occasion, the only way to accept the in- 
telligence was to suppose that with some 
Grerman heads this might be the case ; but, 
so Green endeavoured to tell the good lady 
with all the assurance of an enthusiastic 
physician, that if she would only try the 
experiment frequently herself, get well trained 
to the use of cold water, and take particular 



A COUNTESS. 181 



care to let the stream fall just nicely on the 
top of the spine, she would find her senses 
quickened amazingly. 

"Who is that lady?" Brown asked of the 
host, when she had gone. 

" The Countess of ," was the reply. 

Good heavens ! poor Green was dumb- 
foundered ; and White only wished that he 
talked German so as to have bounced when 
he got home of having conversed with a 
countess. Green was not let off easily for 
having talked iu that free-and-easy manner 
to so aristocratic a personage. 

" You might have guessed/' said Brown, 
" she was somebody particular ; why, I 
could see it from the first." 

Green did not recover his equanimity for 
some time ; he could never forgive himself 
for tendering advice to a gnadige Frau, and 
shocking her sensitive nature with sugges- 
tions about raw cold water to be poured 



J 82 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

-over the nape of her noble neck. Well 
might he remain silent under the circum- 
stances. 

There is a game in great vogue at Kals 
which must be referred to, for it helps very 
materially to pass the dull long evenings in 
winter time. It is a very simple amuse- 
ment, and requires but little paraphernalia. 
A couple of iron rings an inch in diameter 
are attached to the end of a long string 
suspended from the ceiling, and the game 
consists in standing on one side of the room 
and swinging this pendulum as it were, so 
that one or both rings catch upon a hook 
fixed in the wall opposite. A good deal of 
skill is required to do the trick successfully, 
and many are the mugs of beer won and 
lost over the game among the peasants. "No- 
body/' said the host, " could throw the ring 
like the worthy pastor of Kals, who, whether 



A QUIET GAME. 183 

he used the right hand or the left, invariably- 
placed the rings upon the hook." 

In two hours you may reach the narrow 
mountain comb that separates Kals from 
Matrei — the Matrei Kaiser Thorl, as it is 
called — the top of which is marked by a 
wooden cross ; and probably at no other point 
hereabouts could you find such an extensive 
panorama. There are, be it known, two 
distinct groups, or clusters of peaks and 
glaciers, the one being termed the Gross 
Glockner group, and the other the Gross 
Venediger group. The Kaiser Thorl upon 
which you stand divides these two clusters, 
and, consequently, whether you look in 
front or behind, the sight that meets the 
eye is equally grand and imposing. A few 
cloud-patches about heighten the effect 
amazingly, for there the snowy pyramids 
reach up right into the heavens, giving 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



rise to all sorts of fancy forms and shapes ; 
it is difficult, of course, to distinguish the 
peaks from one another without a reliable 
map, but this is a matter of lesser conse- 
quence. The green meadows and black 
pine forests in the plains at their base 
enhance the beauty of the snowy spires 
beyond, and the tiny farms and houses 
grouped about in the valleys, so near, appa- 
rently, as to be within pistol shot, induce the 
belief that you must have discovered fairy- 
land, and that these miniature habitations 
and microscopic buildings are the veritable 
dwellings of the elves and fays so much 
talked about. Would you have a peep at 
Lilliput, here it is just below you, everything 
uniformly small and pretty. No big rivers 
or broad torrents are there, but only 
slender threads of silver, and the little village 
church, perfect as to modelling, could be 
shut up in a pill-box. The atmosphere is 



L1LLIPUT. 18s 



so bright and clear that distance goes for 
nothing. 

Green's accomplishments in the musical 
line came in very useful sometimes, and on 
one occasion it was a means of identifying 
a guide, by proving him, in Irish fashion, 
not to be the man he was supposed to be.. 
In coming from Ferleiten, the young fellow 
who acted as guide, and who had been so 
minutely scrutinized by Green before start- 
ing, gave cry on several occasions to a jodel 
or Swiss chant, which, being rather 
melodious, the musician of the party at a 
convenient moment noted in his book. 
This same man having proved efficient, wa& 
further engaged to go on to Matrei, and 
when in the grey of the morning he came- 
and led off the party, nothing occurred to 
arrest attention ; once or twice the question 
arose whether it really was the same guide, 
to which query some one made answer, " Oh 



i86 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



yes ! he is the man, but he hasn't his snow 
clothing on, and, besides, he has taken off 
his green spectacles." But towards the 
end of the day's work the guide began to 
jodel. 

"Hallo," said Green to Brown, "that 
isn't his jodel." 

" That isn't your jodel," repeated Brown 
to the man, as if he had appropriated some- 
thing not his own. 

" This is his jodel, you know," and 
Green turned to his pocket-book and 
hummed from his notes — 



HP— *~ 



fL±+. 



S=£ 



;s=p^ 



ESE^PE^ 



a i a 1 



p^PB^ H^ 



SP 



a i a i 



i a i 



a i a i 



.5 ~ .:c£±P=j ~t 



»=E=f 



P3 



p 



ifjEQ 



§^§ 



a l aiaiai a. 



The guide hereupon pulled up. " That isn't 



IDENTIFIED IN A SONG. 187 

the same jodel you sang yesterday," repeated 
Brown ; "just do it over again, will you?" 

And then the guide repeated his jodel, 
Green noting it down the while, and lo, on 
close examination, it turned out to be 
another man, as well as another jodel. 

" Why, you are not the man that came 
over the Pfandlscharte with us," remarked 
Brown. 

" Certainly not," said the guide, asto- 
nished ; " that man obtained an engagement 
to go back home, and therefore sent me." 

This was a little amusing, after Green 
being so careful too, especially as during the 
course of the journey all had been very 
liberal to him with wine and food as a 
reward for his civility on the day of passing 
the Pfandlscharte, the good man taking 
everything under the idea, no doubt, that 
Englishmen were universally generous and 
considerate. 



CHAPTER IX. 



WINDISCH MATREI — COMFORTABLE QUARTERS — THE GROSS 
VENEDIGER — A MUTINY — GRUBEN — TROUT, BLUE ANI> 
BROWN — THE CRUCIFIX AT VIRGIN — LETTEBS HOME. 

INE host at Batterer's hotel in "Win- 
disch Matrei is a right merry fellow, 
and his inn is one of the best in the Tyrol. 
Coming immediately' after the houses of 
entertainment at Ferleiten, Heiligenblut, 
and Kals, one is perhaps scarcely so par- 
ticular as usual ; but, in any case, the prin- 
cipal inn at Matrei is a most comfortable 
hostelry. It is just what an inn should 
be ; well furnished and cleanly ordered, 
with a good kitchen and active attendance ; 
it is everything the most fastidious would 
desire, for there is a homeliness and cheer- 
fulness about the place unknown in first- 



COMFORTABLE QUARTERS. 189 

class hotels. Every stranger becomes a 
personal guest, and the host sits down at 
the same table, to see he is properly at- 
tended to. And the reason for all this 
courtesy is simply because the good maitre 
d'hotel does not profess to be any other 
than he really is. He is delighted with 
his visitors, not only because he makes 
profit out of them, but because they have 
done him the honour to enliven him with 
their company. Every little matter that 
can interest the traveller is discussed and 
brought to your notice. As you stand 
under the simple portico and look up the 
picturesque little street, overshadowed by a 
big black mountain that threatens its de- 
struction, the kindly host explains what 
there is to be seen in the neighbourhood, 
and apologizes for anything he deems 
obtrusive, even if it be nature's fault, and 
not his own. That patch of white, for 



190 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

instance, which, you see in a cleft of the 
peak just referred to, he tells you ought 
not to be there at all ; it is not a glacier or 
even permanent snow, and he really cannot 
account for its presence, because, by rights, 
it should disappear in early summer. From 
some unaccountable reason, however, it has 
remained this year ; but, so his deprecating 
manner seems to say, it shall not happen 
again, or he will know the reason why. 
The road is out of repair just now in front 
of the inn, and this is really too bad, 
because the workmen ought to have finished 
the job long ago — last week at the latest \ 
but he will go and talk with them, and get 
an explanation of the delay. If he had his 
way, such disturbances would never occur ; 
and then finding his visitors still dilly- 
dallying about the premises, he thinks it 
high time they were off sight-seeing. Now, 
where are you going to? What is to be 



A BUSY HOST. 191 

the first excursion ? It will never do to be 
dawdling about the inn all day; that, evi- 
dently, he would never permit for an in- 
stant, for everybody has their work to do, 
and tourists must not be idle. What 
do you propose to do ? You can either go 
to Gruben, and so to the base of the Gross 
Venediger, or there is the Pregarten valley 
to explore. About an hour's walk hence, 
just by a crucifix, there is a delightful 
glimpse of glaciers and snowy peaks. Only 
you, must decide quickly, or he will order 
matters for you, and then there will be no 
choice. 

But with all his good qualities, there is 
one weakness mine host possesses ; it is 
that of sending people up the Gross Vene- 
diger. That is, to him, the be all and end 
all of one's existence. A man who has lived 
through life and not been to the Venediger 
Spitz may be a good man in his way, but 



192 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

he is by no means perfect. The ascent of 
his big neighbour is the only thing worth 
living for, and when accomplished you can 
die with dignity. It is all very well to say 
that you have not the courage, nor the 
means wherewith to attempt such an ex- 
ploit; all this avails nothing; if the weather 
is favourable you are bound to go. It is 
your bounden duty, and why on earth did 
you come to Matrei if you did not mean 
business ? You may plead ignorance, and 
say you were not aware of the respon- 
sibility until you arrived, but these are mere 
excuses. 

But has the host been up the Gross Vene- 
diger? you ask. Well, you may put the 
question, but to what end ? Of course he 
has been; twice* indeed; once about ten 
years since, and once only last year. That 
is to say, he has been up, but not quite to 
the top, you know, but very nearly, very 



THE GROSS VENEDIGER. 193 

nearly indeed. So close to the summit was 
he, that had it not been for the unfa- 
vourable state of the weather the renowned 
Spitz would have been very heavily sat 
upon for once in its existence by the daring 
host ; but fortune favoured the big mountain, 
and it was let off for the nonce. But only 
for a very short time ; and even now one 
may consider going twice half-way up a 
mountain is just as good, any day, as reach- 
ing the top only once. 

But in what direction is the first ex- 
cursion to be made, that is the question ? 
" To Gruben and to the base of the big 
mountain, to see what it looks like/' suggests 
Brown; and without more ado the host 
takes the party into custody, and guides 
them up the valley to be sure that the 
walk is no make-belief on their part. 
There is no escape now, and although the 
Tittlebatonians had decided upon a quiet 

13 



194 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

off day, no alternative remains but to go 
quietly whither they are led. 

Up the valley under the picturesque old 
castle on the hill, past some old farmhouses 
and fields full of haymakers, the good man 
leads the way, for about a mile, to the en- 
trance of a deep ravine, out of which tum- 
bles a big cascade. 

"Now then/' says the host, stopping short 
and puffing audibly, " take the left of the 
ravine, when past the waterfall, and that 
will lead to Gruben and to the head of the 
valley. And in returning, you can choose 
the other side of the defile, and thus make 
a variation of the tour. You understand 
now ?" turning to Brown. 

That gentleman is quite confident of the 
matter, and tenders his thanks; he thinks 
now the way will easily be found. 

"But remember," adds the careful host, 
"remember to keep to the left in the first 



A MUTINY. 195 



instance, because the waterfall is seen so 
much better. 

Brown promises that this shall be done. 

" It is impossible to miss the path if you 
go behind that barn and cross the stream at 
once, but be very particular to ascend by 
those houses;" and then the good fellow 
departs, looking back now and again to see 
that all is right. 

The day is very warm and the sun quite 
oppressive, the heat bearing down weightily 
upon one's head. To go any distance on 
such a day is impossible. 

"Look here," says Green, suddenly be- 
coming mutinous, " I thought we were to 
have a day's rest; it's too bad to make a 
fellow go on walking day after day in this 
manner. I was sure how it would be; 
Brown is always talking of having an easy 
day, but somehow we never get it. 

Poor Black even broke silence and mut- 

13—2 



196 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

tered something about their having taken it 
more quietly in the Pyrenees. 

" But it isn't my fault/' returns Brown, 
waxing wrath ; " why didn't you tell the 
old fellow at once that you wanted to stop 
at home ? Why, White here wanted to go 
up the Gross Venediger this morning when 
he heard of it." 

White puffs himself up with much dig- 
nity after such a handsome allusion, feeling 
bound to support the last speaker. He 
intimates, with an important shake of 
the head, that he certainly should like to 
make the ascent, and that if they stop 
another day at Matrei, it is more than 
likely that he shall do so. If there is any- 
thing for which he has had an ambition in 
life, it is that of scaling the Gross Vene- 
diger some day. 

This is more than Green can stand. 
" Why, you didn't even know till yesterday 



A HOT WALK. 197 



that there was a mountain of that name/' 
White was astounded at such an assertion. 
" And what is more," continued Green, 
"you would not have thought about it had 
not the host told you it could be done com- 
fortably and without risk." 

The Tittlebatonians were out of temper, 
and their style of walking in the hot sun 
was not such as would impress one with the 
idea that they contemplated performing any 
very daring feat just then. 

Presently the barn alluded to by the host 
was reached. There was nothing peculiar 
about the building, but somehow it occurred 
to all to step in and look at it. "Whether it 
was for the purpose of seeing what was con- 
tained therein, or to observe the mode of 
preserving hay in that part of the country, 
is a moot point; but certain it is that the 
dispute came to an abrupt end, and every- 
body gazed around with the utmost interest. 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



A question arose as to whether the hay was- 
this year's crop or last year's, and to settle 
this point, the party, with one accord, began 
to explore the cool shady refuge. No 
satisfactory decision could be at once arrived 
at, and after pinching and smelling for some 
time, it was determined to find out by sitting 
upon it. It would never do to give up so 
important a matter without some considera- 
tion, and consequently all laid quietly down 
to think the matter over carefully. A few 
arguments were advanced pro and con, but 
after a time each man resolved to think 
the matter out quietly by himself, and so 
all kept their thoughts entirely to them- 
selves. In this way an hour and more 
passed without any decision being given, 
and barring one decided opinion expressed 
by the scientific Green, that the desic- 
cated fibre was the abode of several lively 
specimens of entomology, no positive affir- 



BROWN STUDY. 199 

mation was advanced. There is no know- 
ing indeed how long the philosophers would 
have continued their profound studies, 
reposing upon their easy couches, had not the 
threshold been suddenly darkened by the 
portly figure of mine host, whose misgivings 
that all was not going on rightly had 
caused him to return and search for traces 
of the gallant pedestrians. Of course, pro- 
fuse apologies and explanations were at 
once tendered, for otherwise the good man 
might have supposed that his guests had 
left his implicit instructions unheeded, and 
gone into the barn, as soon as his back was 
turned, simply to lie upon the hay and kill 
time in a lazy purposeless manner. He 
scarcely listened to the explanations offered, 
but stood severely at the door until all had 
departed, the spiritless Tittlebats making 
their exit one after another in more or less 
lively fashion. And this time it was im- 



200 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

possible to practise any deception, for it was 
not nntil his guests were laboriously toiling 
up the hill before him that the host again 
left them to their own devices. 

Windisch Matrei is not only a pleasant 
place in itself, but it is moreover a most 
eligible headquarters for excursions, whether 
the tourist be a modest walker or hardy 
mountaineer. You are in the very midst of 
lovely scenes and fragrant pine forests, and 
these can be enjoyed with little fatigue. 
Thus, as far as Grub en — not two hours' 
walk — the way is highly picturesque, the 
path being a ledge cut by the side of a 
frowning ravine, so steep and tortuous that 
you never know how far you will be able to 
proceed. The sombre walls of rock close 
together so suddenly as almost to choke the 
passage, and the little shelf of a path seems 
at times to be lost altogether. Then the 
magnificent waterfall seen from the preci- 



ROUND THE GROSS GLOCKNER. 201 

pice above is alone worth a journey, the. 
fantastic shapes taken by the foaming water 
as it dashes against jagged rocks in its 
headlong flight, forming gauzy rainbows in 
the sunshine, looking like a glimpse of 
fairyland. Past Gruben you come to the 
very base of the mountains or Tauern, 
the crossing of which to Mittersill or 
Krimml completes the tour of the Gross 
Glockner very perfectly. 

But this step would prevent one seeing 
the Pregarten valley and the fine bit of 
country lying between Matrei and the 
Dolomites in the Puster valley, and there- 
fore one must needs be content to drop 
this link in the chain round the Gross 
Glockner, and return again to Matrei, the 
obligatory duty being in truth a very 
pleasant one. 

And so the Britons journeyed back to 
dinner, the host bein^ in excellent humour 



202 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

jon a report of the proceedings being sub- 
mitted, as, by-the-bye, he need have been, 
seeing he had everything his own way. 
And while on the subject of meals, a word 
of praise deserves to be said in favour of 
the Tyrolese trout. " Will you have them 
blue or brown ?" the waitress usually asks 
you, and she means exactly what she says. 
When boiled the delicate fish are of a pale 
blue tint, while fried or baked they naturally 
enough assume a brownish hue. Cooked 
either way, they are a most toothsome dish, 
and form a welcome change to the veal and 
salad which is the staple of most dinners. 
There is another dish, too, that they under- 
stand perfectly in these parts — namely, pan- 
cakes, and these can be obtained when meat 
and butter are not forthcoming. An ein- 
gefulltes MeMspeise (Green called them male 
spiders), a pancake stuffed with preserves, 
will satisfy anybody, and is a capital foun- 



BLUE TROUT AND BROWN. 203 

dation for walking upon. For drinking 
there is good beer to be had throughout 
the Tyrol, as well as palatable red and 
white wine, it being a matter for regret 
that the keeping qualities of the latter are 
not equal to their other virtues. 

Dinner finished, the host had a further 
chat on the subject of mountaineering. 

" We are going to explore the Pregarten 
valley next," explained Brown. 

The host was by no means elated at the 
news. 

" It will be a fine day to-morrow, I feel 
sure," he said ; " if you want to make a 
good excursion, now's your time." 

White had become quiet all of a sudden, 
for everybody knew what was coming. 

" Just the sort of weather for making an 
ascent of the Venediger Spitz," the host 
continued, in an off-hand, disinterested 
manner. " I don't think I ever knew a day 



204 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

more favourable for the purpose — a clear 
•evening and no wind/' 

Keally one began to suppose that the old 
fellow received a capitation grant from 
government on every traveller he sent up 
the big mountain ; or was it that like pro- 
fessional crammers who coach young gen- 
tlemen for examinations, he meant to adver- 
tise that out of so many visitors who had 
stopped at his hotel, such a number had 
.gone up the Gross Venediger ? 

" I have a great mind to go," hazarded 
White, after a dead pause, and breaking 
into a perspiration. 

" I will take care of your things when you 
are away," volunteered Brown. 

"And of any letters you would like to 
write," said Grreen. 

White hitched his nether garments ner- 
vously, and, looking round a little uncom- 
fortably, gave a short cough and went 



THE VENEDIGER SPITZ IN DANGER. 205, 

through the motions of swallowing two or 
three times. 

The host was unwilling, of course, to in- 
fluence by an opinion one way or the other, 
but it might be useful, he thought, to men- 
tion that in case an ascent was projected, 
there were guides always ready and waiting. 

" I only wish I had bigger nails in my 
boots, that's all j I wouldn't hesitate a 
moment," said White. 

But this was a difficulty that the village 
shoemaker would get over in an hour, the 
host bore witness. 

"Ah, but then again, I don't know 
German sufficiently well to understand the 
guides," pleaded White. 

But this objection too was overruled by 
the statement that the guides were an intel- 
ligent set of men, and had repeatedly had 
Englishmen in their charge. 

White next objected to his ice-pole, and 



206 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

then to his having no snow- veil, but the 
difficulties brought forward one by one were 
met as soon as started ; so there was really 
no alternative under the circumstances but 
for poor White defiantly and flatly to refuse 
to go on principle. This seemed both unfair 
and ungallant : unfair because for the last 
half hour he had usurped the reputation 
of a bold headstrong mountaineer on the 
eve of a perilous journey, and ungallant 
because the fair Kellnerin, who admired him 
from the first, had been delighted that this 
one of all his fellows should be the 
bravest and most intrepid. It was too bad, 
just as every hindrance had been explained 
away, to have the champion of the company 
refusing to depart without rhyme or 
reason. No explanation would White 
deign to offer, but he allowed it to be 
inferred, by his mysterious manner, that 
if people had not set upon him in a body, 



PREGARTEN VALLEY. , 207 

matters would have turned out far differently-, 
and that while he was still personally 
anxious to make the ascent, he did not do 
so simply and solely out of spite to the 
others. It was merely a matter of personal 
feeling and nothing else, he gave all to 
understand, and he stalked off to bed with 
lofty strides that would have made the big 
mountain' tremble at his approach had it 
been human. 

As beautiful in its way as Gruben, if not 
altogether so grand, is the pretty valley of 
Pregarten. The way leads from the village 
over the rushing torrent, and ascends 
gradually through a forest of sweet- 
smelling pines. So densely wooded is the 
mountain side that in places the branches 
meet together and overshadow the lazy 
wanderer. Opposite are other green-clad 
slopes, whose soft outlines against the sky 
complete the most perfect picture of forest 



208 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

scenery one can well imagine. There are 
many attractive points along the valley, 
but the most pleasing of all is when you 
reach the crest of a hill about an hour's 
walk from Matrei, where the path dips down 
into the little village of Virgin. The spot, 
marked by a crucifix, is startling in its 
beauty. It is as you come round a bend 
in the road that this glorious peep is secured, 
and one must needs rest awhile on the 
grassy bank to enjoy it. On either hand 
are grand old pine forests, the dark mass 
of foliage on the steep slopes reaching to the 
vale below, where the tiny cottages of Virgin 
are grouped about in picturesque confusion. 
And in the background, above the black firs 
and waving green boughs, peeps forth a virgin 
snow peak confessed in all its purity and 
loveliness. Such a scene on a summer's 
evening when the gleams of sunshine are 
giving place to a rich purple haze that 



A CRUCIFIX. 209 



literally fills the valley with colour, is one 
no mortal can behold unmoved. 

And as one gazes upon the beauteous 
picture, there comes down the path, with 
painful and halting step, an old woman bent 
double with age and infirmity, with a, face 
that long ago lost its comeliness and now 
•embodies only what is ugly and loathsome. 
Glancing neither to the right nor to the 
left, the poor creature shuffles on her weary 
way, and as she reaches the favoured spot 
she too makes a pause of a few moments. 
Can it be, think you, that she appreciates 
the beautiful landscape ? can she too take 
delight in the divine panorama before her ? 
No, her stay has a very different meaning, for 
it is only when she reaches the crucifix itself 
that she comes to a halt. Glancing up at 
the holy emblem, she mutters a short 
prayer, and then fondlv taking the rough 
timber in her hands she kisses it reverently 

14 



2<io TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

and passes on, going away slowly down 
hill to her home. A more simple and 
touching act of devotion can scarcely' be 
conceived, nor could a more fitting spot 
have been chosen for its enactment. 

And now the sun has gone down night 
comes on very fast, for twilight is of but 
short duration in these deep valleys. As 
you stroll home in the dusk the woods re- 
sound with quaint sounds and utterances, 
and fireflies flash across your path like 
eccentric will-o'-the-wisps. It is dark be- 
fore Matrei is reached, and the pleasant 
hotel sighted once again. 

If White ever encountered a difficulty in 
his life it was that of writing a letter. His 
talents for story telling were of a far higher 
order than his caligraphic attainments ; and 
therefore the letters sent home to Mrs. 
White could scarcely have been so interest- 
ing to read as the exciting adventures her 



HOME LETTERS. 211 

husband was wont tell of. When the Tit- 
tlebatonians sat down of an evening to 
relieve their over-charged brains of the 
interesting experiences treasured up therein 
and transfer them to paper, the first to 
desist and come to a full stop was the 
bravest of the party. While others would 
scribble away sheet after sheet, reading over 
with quiet satisfaction what they had writ- 
ten, as if it was the finest and most hu- 
morous composition in the world, never 
taking their eyes off their paper, but chuck- 
ling inwardly at every word as they wrote 
it, White would look up, after laboriously 
filling in date and address, and making 
some stereotyped commencement, quite un- 
able to get any further. He would glance 
first at one and then at another; and 
after thinking restlessly over the matter 
for some time, would at last come out 

14—2 



212 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

with : "I say, you fellows, what shall I 
tell my wife ?" 

The interruption was exceedingly pro- 
voking at times, but it soon was regarded 
as a matter of course, and the suggestion 
invariably given was to describe one of the 
numerous adventures in which he, White, 
had, according to his own showing, played 
the part of hero. But somehow that gal- 
lant gentleman never could be brought to 
put upon paper, much more send to Mrs. 
"White, any account of his daring and intre- 
pidity, either because of his innate modesty, 
or on account perhaps of his being un- 
willing to make his partner anxious about 
his safety. As an amateur farmer, very 
knowing on the subject of crops, the matter 
ended by his epistles containing descrip- 
tions of large-sized turnips and tremendous 
wurzels which he had seen, varied occa- 



INTERESTING NEWS. 213 

sionally by facts in natural history regard- 
ing horrible snakes and terrible vultures he 
had met with ; and not unfrequently finish- 
ing off with some local legend he had heard 
of, detailed with such precision and circum- 
stance, that it read like an event that had 
happened yesterday. 





* CHAPTER X. 

A PRIMITIVE DISTRICT — A SCANDALOUS PROCEEDING — LIENZ 
— RAILWAYS — OFFICERS OP THE LINE — NIEDERDORP — 
VISITORS' BOOKS— QUAINT ADVERTISEMENTS— THE AM- 
PEZZO VALLEY. 

rpHE road from Windisch Matrei to 
Lienz, in the Puster valley, is a plea- 
sant one, the distance a march of five 
hours. Looking back when you have left the 
village a little way behind, before you enter 
the wood, the snow-peaks at the head of 
the Pregarten valley are seen to stand out 
bold and clear, with the old-fashioned houses 
of Matrei forming a happy foreground to the 
picture. The hamlets and villages you pass 
all possess the same quaint antiquity, and 
the inhabitants suit them in every way. 
They heed little the strangers that pass 
by, and take no interest in the reasons 



A PRIMITIVE VALLEY. 215 

of their coming and going. To them it is 
of little moment how the traveller speeds 
on his way; and only at one point along 
the ronte is there any chance of obtaining 
transport. So unused, apparently, are they 
to the ways of strangers, that at a little inn 
on the roadside the host, who happened to 
be outside his house, could not conceal his 
excessive delight at the prospect of enter- 
taining such aristocrats as the Tittlebat 
Club, and some time elapsed before he could 
realize the fact that they really meant to 
bestow their patronage upon him. That four 
travellers, and foreigners too, should come 
to him, of all men in the world, and desire 
entertainment, was to be regarded as some- 
thing more than luck ; and the way in 
which the old gentleman bustled about and 
kept the household in a state of excitement, 
was an experience to remember. Not that 
he did anything himself in the way of 



216 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

ordering matters, his wife and the Kettnerin 
did that; but the delight and the respon- 
sibility he felt was too much to let him 
remain still for a single moment. 

Now what would they desire to eat? 
what would they have to drink? were 
they tired? had they walked far? what 
country did they come from? what made 
them choose that particular inn? where 
were they going to ? and many other ques- 
tions were asked. His chief anxiety was 
to find out the nationality of his guests ; 
and it was only on demanding the bill that 
the brave fellow became grave and silent. 
The account required much elaboration and 
thinking over, and it was only after a long 
consultation with various members of the 
household that the document was presented 
with a show of much pride and importance. 
It was a curiosity in its way, worked out 
by the united efforts of host, waitress, visitors* 



MAKING OUT A BILL. 217^ 

and amici curia from the village, upon a 
bit of brown paper some eighteen inches- 
long and nine broad, with the aid of several 
ounces of chalk. 

Painful as may be the circumstance, duty 
compels the mention in this place of an 
event which it would have been well to 
suppress and omit altogether from these 
chronicles. However, it shall be briefly 
told. As already stated, Black, as a reli- 
able custodian, had been entrusted by Brown 
with the second brandy flask of the party ; 
and this office of guardian he fulfilled so 
religiously, that, despite the entreaties and 
threats held out occasionally both by White 
and Green at trying points of the journey,, 
not a drop of the liquor was forthcoming 
from the tightly screwed -up apparatus. The 
most ingenious tricks and schemes were 
devised to get a pull at that sacred bottle, 
but all to no purpose. Green had been 



TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 



known to get up surreptitiously in the 
dead of the night to obtain possession of 
the coveted trust ; and White on more than 
one occasion had essayed by brute force to 
get a taste of the liquor; so that at last 
it became a question to Black whether he 
would not have to imitate the example of 
Briccius, and carry the flask in his leg, to 
preserve its contents intact. But fate was 
against the Pyrenean explorer. It was just 
before reaching Lienz that the two good- 
for-nothings, caring little for honour or pres- 
tige, determined to make one final and con- 
certed onslaught upon poor Black, and either 
succeed or die in the attempt. Brown was 
allowed to get on well in front, and gradu- 
ally Black dropped behind with White, 
who narrated, for the purpose of entertain- 
ing him, one of his most exciting adven- 
tures. At a prearranged signal, Green, who 
had been marching in front with the leader, 



A SCANDALOUS PROCEEDING. 219 

also halted for the purpose ostensibly of 
lacing his boots, and as Brown disappeared 
out of sight at a bend in the road, the little 
bottleholder was fallen upon by the two 
ruffians. 

"Now, come, let us have a drop out of 
that at once," cried the conspirators, turning 
upon their unoffending companion. 

Poor Black saw in a moment it was all 
over with him. However, he attempted a 
parley. " If you are thirsty, try munching 
a bit of stale bread. It is a capital thing 
for bringing back the saliva to a dry 
mouth. I know when we were in the 
Pyrenees " 

" Oh, bless the Pyrenees !" said White, 
impatiently, only he used a naughtier word 
than " bless ;" and, without much ceremony, 
Black was despoiled of the coveted flask, 
which was forthwith emptied by alternative 
sups by the two outlaws. Black sat on the 



220 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

bank and contemplated the sacrilege in 
speechless surprise, mechanically receiving 
back the empty bottle as if the whole thing 
was a dream. And when they caught up to 
the great leader afterwards, the poor fellow 
never once alluded to the matter, although 
the exuberant spirits of the other two, and 
the buoyant manner in which they marched 
along ahead even of Brown himself, puzzled 
that gentleman exceedingly, and caused 
him more than once to wonder what on 
earth had happened. 

Five years ago Lienz was an obscure little 
town, through which a diminutive Mlwagen 
travelled once a day, connecting the railway 
stations of Villach and Brixen on the Bren- 
ner ; but time has worked wonders, and it 
is now an important point upon a railway, 
set down in the time-tables in big letters, 
and furthermore honoured by the train 
stopping some minutes at its newly-built 



LIENZ. 221 



station. The whole town, it would appear, 
has been in a torpid state since the time of 
the Crusades, and bears throughout signs of 
Eastern architecture. Even now the in- 
habitants are scarcely wideawake enough 
to appreciate the dignity of being connected 
by railway with the Brenner line. It is 
true the good people assemble in force at 
the station whenever the trains arrive or 
depart, which is, by the way, only twice a 
day, but there is no evidence to warrant the 
belief that any of them so far have pur- 
chased a ticket. They are willing, of course, 
to countenance and support the thing as far 
as their presence goes, but naturally enough 
a dislike exists among them to be the first 
to risk their lives in the new-fangled ma- 
chines. So they have built a large restau- 
rant near the spot, together with an extensive 
skittle-ground, and here they can have all 
the excitement of the affair without running 



222 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

any risk, being always close at hand, not to 
lose the chance of seeing even a luggage 
train pass. When the engine is heard from 
afar, skittles and beer are at once forsaken, 
and faces are flattened against the palings, 
while, with serious and intense interest, all 
watch the wonderful line of carriages ap- 
proach along the rails, and examine the 
passengers — if there are any — with unmis- 
takeable awe and admiration. 

Those whose only experience of trains 
and railway traffic is confined to half a dozen 
lines in England, possess no idea whatever 
of the fearful responsibility and excessive 
anxiety which some of the minor branches 
on the Continent involve. Let no one ima- 
gine for an instant that he knows anything 
about railway travelling simply because 
he has journeyed by some of the quick 
trains in England. There never was a 
greater mistake. Take, for instance, the 



RAIL WA Y TRA VEILING. 223 

morning-express to Scotland on the Great 
Northern ; why, here there is absolutely no- 
thing at all to see calculated to impress the 
mind with the importance of railways and 
railway officials. There are simply a dozen 
carriages and a locomotive up at the further 
end of the big station, and as passengers 
arrive, they are let into compartments 
marked "Aberdeen," "EdinbroV " Glasgow/ ' 
&c.; a few inspectors moving noiselessly to 
and fro the while. Presently, the hour of 
ten is indicated by the clock on the plat- 
form, a guard whistles, and in another mo- 
ment the train quietly glides away, getting 
up a swinging speed of some fifty miles an 
hour as soon at it is clear of the bricks and 
mortar. Say what you will, the whole thing 
is exceedingly tame — natter than walking. 
Now, hereabouts it is quite a different 
matter ; nothing is done without proper de- 
liberation and dignity, and even the trains 



.-224 TRAMPS IN THE . TYROL. 

themselves are never seen in an unseemly 
hurry, but progress — immer langsam voran — 
with measured step and slow. But it is 
the officials, after all, that impress the stran- 
ger most vividly ; the jaunty cut of their 
smart blue uniforms, their bright buttons 
and slashes of silver lace, cannot but fail to 
attract the eye, for officers in a crack cavalry 
regiment would be envious of such brilliant 
and e]egant costumes. Then their frank 
and gentlemanly bearing is quite in keeping 
with the splendid exterior. 

It will never do, however, to enter a carriage 
without first craving permission, and in the 
case of humble passengers many complicated 
•details as to early life, parentage, or of some 
such nature, have to be gone into before 
the boon is granted. And when you come 
to think of it, it is really very kind of these 
good-natured gentlemen to take any interest 
in the matter at all, for it must be a great 



OFFICERS OF THE LINE. 225 

annoyance to them to be constantly obliged 
to answer questions and look after low-class 
passengers at every little station. It is 
rarely that they are put out of temper; 
yet only fancy a dirty peasant tapping 
you on the sleeve of your azure uniform 
just as you are lighting a cigar, or sipping 
a glass of beer with a friend, and asking 
you to put him into the proper carriage for 
the Brenner. That the man will be sent 
off about his business with a good round 
oath is what you might naturally expect ; 
but no ! the official is not at all offended, he 
good-naturedly points to the train across 
the rails and intimates that he the passenger 
may open the door for himself. Then, 
besides the annoyances from travellers, there 
is the whole responsibility of starting the 
trains upon their hands, and this is no 
insignificant duty, be it known. No less 
than four distinct and separate operations 

15 



226 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

have to be gone through before a clear start 
can be made, exclusive, of course, of imbibing 
beer and Schnapps, or taking other refresh- 
ment. The first thing, and perhaps the most 
difficult, is to collect passengers who have 
strayed into the refreshment-rooms, and 
this takes time ; consequently its accom- 
plishment is effected some time before the 
official period s*et down for starting. The 
troublesome travellers are checked in their 
disgusting attempts to swallow food and 
drink in a hurry by a loud and spasmodic 
ringing of a bell, and after being chased into 
their compartments and summarily locked 
in, an interval is allowed for quieting down 
the nerves of the officials ; during this period 
of repose the latter have a little chat together 
while the wretched passengers employ their 
time in watching their unfinished repast 
being quietly consumed or cleared away by 
the waiters and hangers-on of the buffet. 



THE GUARDS. 227 



Presently the Herr Oberschaffner having 
lighted a fresh cigar and told the last good 
thing to the station-master, who laughingly 
responds with one more telling still, in- 
structs his subordinate to give the word 
" fertig" or " all right." Hereupon a man, 
who has been standing for some time by a 
bell under a handsome awning that forms a 
magnificent ornament to the platform, pulls 
the rope half a dozen times, winding up 
with a one, two, three, to intimate to 
all that this is really the veiy, very, very 
last time of sounding, and then finally a 
penny trumpet is sounded. As to the 
author of this last display of musical ability, 
there is some doubt, but in all probability it is 
due to the lungs of the Herr Oberschaffner. 
There remains now simply for the engine- 
driver to blow his whistle, and then, after 
a moment or two, as if time were necessary 
for the digestion of all this complicated 

15— % 



228 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

organization, the telegraph bells, which have 
been incessantly performing a tinkle-inkle, 
tinkle-inkle accompaniment, cease sounding, 
and the train goes off in a leisurely manner, 
quite befitting the philosophic and phlegmatic 
character of the great nation whom it 
serves. 

To Niederdorf in the Pusterthal is a ride 
by rail or carriage of three or four hours, 
through scenery of great beauty, for at 
times one has charming peeps of the silvery 
peaks of the adjacent Dolomites. The 
sights in the neighbourhood draw many 
visitors to the valley, and the spas, for so 
many of the larger villages are called, 
are in the summer-time filled with strangers 
from Vienna and North Italy. 

This was the case on the arrival of the 
Brotherhood, the " Hollenstein" hotel being 
crowded to overflowing. It was past mid- 
night, and the sleepy Boots who admitted 



A BLACK HOLE. . 229 

them seemed scarcely inclined to let them 
come in at all ; it required both moral and 
physical persuasion in the end, and then 
the apartment proffered was one of very 
rough aspect, and contained already one 
occupant. 

So uninviting indeed was the interior of 
the chamber, that it was some time before 
any one would venture inside to reconnoitre. 
At last White, with all the valour of a 
British Tittlebat, summoned courage to 
do so. 

" Not a palatial residence," he said, grop- 
ing cautiously forward. 

" Very close and stuffy," said Green, 
sniffing about as he followed up. 

Another moment and Brown was in the 
room. " Why, there's no ventilation at 
all," he said; "and there's one fellow 
already in possession." 

Black timidly remained without, trying 



230 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

to get a glimpse of the interior, and was 
commencing a protest with — " Oh, I say ; 

look here ; don't you know " when the 

servant thought he had waited quite long 
enough, and so to assist the travellers in 
making up their minds, he fairly pushed the 
last man in and shut the door. 

All eyes turned towards the man in pos- 
session, and some thoughts were entertained 
about provoking a quarrel, White sug- 
gesting, in a bloodthirsty manner, the 
advisability of pitching him out of window ; 
but as there was no window to pitch him 
out of, such a proceeding was out of the 
question, and the best had to be made of a 
bad job. The ordeal was, however, worth 
going through, if only for the purpose of 
becoming objects of commiseration next 
morning, and to receive the apologies of the 
people of the hotel when they found out 
how badly the poor Englishmen had been. 



QUITE BY MISTAKE. 231 

treated. There seems to have been some 
misgivings on the part of the landlady as 
soon as she heard the account from the 
porter, for early in the morning, when a 
servant brought up water for washing, the 
latter was instructed to search for informa- 
tion, and the sight, and especially the feel, 
of Green's plaid suit hanging up behind the 
door was sufficient to convince her of the 
high degree of the wearer. Accordingly 
the most profuse entreaties for pardon were 
made by the kind-hearted landlady and her 
pretty daughter, who, however, could not, 
throughout the whole day, forget the joke 
of four vornehne Badegaste having been 
cooped up all night in a lumber-room, with 
a peasant for companion. All charge for 
sleeping accommodation was foregone in the 
bill, although the full value of it was taken 
out in constant funny allusions by the Kett- 
nerinnen. 



232 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

An occasional wet day, which confines 
one in-doors, is sometimes not a disagreeable 
change, especially if you happen to be in an 
old-fashioned house. There is so much to 
look at in the antiquated ornaments about 
the room, so much to excite curiosity in 
the stained prints on the walls and the 
literature of the house. The Fremden 
Buck, or Visitors' Book, if an old one, is a 
fund of entertainment in itself, and in some 
cases, where the questions set down to be 
answered are strict and searching, there is 
some amusement too, for the straits to 
which conscientious travellers are put in 
replying to them are most comical. Thus 
in supplying information as to their desti- 
nation, you find a traveller setting forth 
circumstantially that he intends going to 
Como and Maggiore, stopping by the way 
at Verona; while a thrifty sister, whose 
name is underneath, has subsequently 



A SMART NOTION. 233 

added, "if funds allow." One ingenious 
Yankee, hailing from Philadelphia, had 
brought with him gummed and printed 
labels, giving the required information 
about himself and family already set up, 
and these were cleverly pasted into the 
book whenever opportunity occurred. To 
one of these grand labels some wag had 
appended after the name the apt words, 
* c Printer, Philadelphia." It was the same, 
probably, who specified his "travelling 
documents" as ten-florin notes, and had 
put down his ultimate " destination" as 
" heaven." 

Some of these Fremden Bucher are most 
inquisitorial in their nature. Only fancy 
being asked to give all sorts of news about 
yourself for the mere purpose of gratifying 
the gossiping pensionnaires of the hotel, who 
pester the Kellnerin to take the book at once 
io new arrivals as soon as they appear^ By 



234 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

way of example, here is an exact copy of the 
queries at the little village of Niederdorf, 
a quarter of an hour being required to fill 
in everything en regie. These are the head- 
ings of the columns : — 

Angehommen sind am — (Arrived on the — ). 

Name und Zuname — (Name and Christian 
name.) 

Character oder Beschdftigung oder Gewerbe 
der Anhommenden — (Bank, profession, 
or trade of the arrivals.) 

Der en Alter — (Their age.) 

Religion — (Religion. ) 

Name und Zuname, Character oder Be- 
schdftigung oder Gewerbe der Mitreis en- 
den — (The name and Christian name, 
rank, profession, or trade of those 
accompanying the traveller.) 

Familien und Dienerschqft — (Details of the 
family and servants.) 



THE, VISITORS' BOOK. 235 

Deren Alter — (Their ages.) 

Deren Zustand und Wohnort — (Their con- 
dition and native place.) 

Woher die Beisenden gekommen sind — 
(Where the travellers have come from.) 

Pass oder andere Beise Documente — (The 
nature of the tourist's passport or 
other travelling documents.) 

Sind abgereist — (Destination and date of 
departure.) 

Then besides the Fremden Bucli there are* 
the newspapers of the hotel to be studied, 
and of these the advertisements best repay 
perusal. The mixing up of business with 
social announcements is very quaint. Thus 
you may read an advertisement commenc- 
ing :— 

"Yesterday, died my dear wife," 

and ending in "Dep6t for all kinds of 
drugs." 



236 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

After an announcement of birth comes a 
line at the bottom, "Good Dutch herrings." 

But the most interesting met with was 
the following, which occurred in the pages 
of a Viennese paper, the Constitutionetter 
Vorstadt Zeitung • — 

" A substantial man of formed character, 
(widower), 32 years of age, of a very agree- 
able appearance (dark), having two pretty 
children (girls), of 5 and 3 years of age, in 
a good situation, possessing a capital of 
1100 florins, with a good establishment, 
&c, desires as soon as possible to marry 
a substantial and domestically-educated 
maiden or widow, with a loving heart and 
a little property. Proposals to be addressed 
under the motto, ' Simple and pretty,' Poste 
Eestante, Neubau." 

Here is another advertisement, scarcely 
so romantic : — 

"Machines for catching fleas. For ladies, 



Q UAINT AD VERTISEMENTS. 237 

5 silbergroschens ; for lapdogs. 2| silber- 
groschens." 

No one should go through the Puster- 
thal without visiting the Ampezzo valley, 
if only to get a peep at the pretty district 
around the Dolomites. All the way to Cor- 
tina the scenery is magnificent, one beautiful 
point being the entrance to the valley, as 
one looks up at the grey craggy portals 
that form the only inlet thereto. 




CHAPTEE XI. 

VETERAN PEDESTRIANS — AMONG THE DOLOMITES — CORTINA 

THE BUMMELZUG AN OLD ERIEND — FRANZ ENSFESTE — 

VERONA — LAKE COMO — LUGANO — A CIRCUS SCENE RE- 
HEARSED — MAGGIORE — THE SIMPLON — GENEVA. 

"O LITHELY enough does every one march 
now, after some three weeks' steady 
work. Straps have ceased to tighten of 
themselves, knapsacks sit more easily upon 
the back, and boots have left off being a 
source of annoyance. The mountain air 
blows freshly over the hill tops when start- 
ing away in the morning, and invigorates 
one's whole frame. Even the hot valleys are 
not to be despised if you will only start 
early enough, when the sun is yet low in 
the sky ; for as you march along, with steep 
wooded slopes on either side, there, under 
the shadow of the big mountain walls, the 



VETERAN PEDESTRIANS. 239 

coolness of night still lingers, and in the 
pure heart-thrilling atmosphere is an ether 
as intoxicating as nectar. The cold clear air 
in the pine woods sweeps softly against one's 
cheek, and the brow is freshened as with 
spray from a fountain. 

No sense of fatigue now, and the gallant 
band have well earaed exemption from 
it. The Marienburg and Plattenkogl they 
have stamped upon, the Pfandlscharte has 
been scaled, and even a spur of the Gross 
Glockner itself — the Berger Thorl — has been 
crossed. Simple marching over mountain 
roads must henceforth be regarded as mere 
child's play. There is no throwing off the 
knapsack to get a moment's respite, no mend- 
ing of harness to delay the start whenever a 
halt is made. To sit down at the roadside, 
without so much as easing one's belts, is 
now the custom, or even to play a game of 
skittles in heavy marching order. And at 



240 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

mid-day, when the usual rest is taken, each 
does his duty quickly and cheerfully ; search 
is made for a convenient stream in some 
shady nook, and here, after a bath, a savoury 
mess of soup is cooked. A model encamp- 
ment is formed, and all rapidly fulfil their 
various duties. Green has become an ad- 
mirable cook, and is entrusted with all 
general arrangements. He is exempt, by 
right of his appointment, from serving in 
the menial capacity of wood-collector or 
fire-blower, and while others scramble off to 
collect a faggot and find flat stones for a 
hearth, the chef fills his can with water and 
puts into it the right quantity of JExtradum 
Carnis, groats, or vermicelli. It is not until 
the fire is fairly alight, and the mess almost 
ready, that the subordinates are released 
from work and permitted to take their bath. 
Then after a few finishing touches to the 
soup, luncheon is served. Each man con- 



SOUP MAKING. 241 

tributes what stale bread or biscuits he may 
have in his pockets, and a few slices of 
German sausage, with pepper and salt, and 
sometimes a mushroom having been added, 
all sit down to lunch. A wooden salad 
spoon forms a portion of each kit, and the 
toothsomeness of such a meal, served under 
these circumstances, surpasses that of cali- 
pash or calipee. After two or three hours' 
rest, a general wash up and cleaning of 
utensils follows; but as scullery assistants 
the Tittlebatonians do not shine, Brown 
being especially lazy and slovenly. To see 
the gallant leader scrubbing away at the 
soup tin at arm's length, or washing the 
greasy spoons down by the brook, is a finer 
sight even than to watch him in the capa- 
city of laundress. 

To Cortina is a day's walk of some 
five-and-twenty miles, and for those who 
prefer to ride, there is a diligence twice a 

16 



242 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

day from Niederdorf. The way may be 
much shortened if you leave the road after 
the first mile and go across country towards 
the Ampezzo valley. By entering the wood 
and ascending over the shoulder of the 
mountain, you get a wonderful view of 
the opening of the grand ravine. Before 
you stretches a magnificent 'panorama of 
sharp grey peaks, which stand out, like 
gigantic fangs, in bold relief against the 
blue sky and fleecy clouds. Through a gap 
in the wall or basin of rock the road 
passes, and by its side you can see the 
pretty Goblau lake sparkling in the sun 
— a beautiful turquoise gem fittingly set 
in the silvery grey crags around. Once 
fairly into the valley, you are surrounded 
by these mighty and jagged spires, which 
rise up in fantastic shapes from the black 
pine woods ; and a little further on you 
come in sight of the far-famed Monte Oris- 



THE DOLOMITES. 245 

tall, standing alone in magnificent splendour, 
barring one's path in front. All the way- 
there is a succession of grand and ever- 
changing scenes, now wild and gloomy, now 
supremely soft and pastoral. 

But the Tittlebatonians have but time for 
a flying visit only to this charming nook, 
and soon they are back again at Nieder- 
dorf preparing to face homewards. Dis- 
tances and days have to be reckoned with 
the greatest nicety, and there must now be 
no delay in bidding adieu to pleasant val- 
leys, snowy peaks, shady woods, and foam- 
ing torrents ; to the guitar, the zither, and 
the jodeling of the Tyrol, with its honest, 
friendly inhabitants. 

To get to the Brenner line the Puster 
railway is again taken ; that is to say, as 
soon as it can be got at; for the train 
when it approaches a station never can 
make up its mind to remain quiet at the 

I6-2 



244 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

platform for a moment, but must needs go 
moving eccentrically backwards and for- 
wards for no apparent reason whatever; 
and it is only after a great deal of signalling, 
gesticulating, and shouting on the part of 
the officials that the carriages are at last 
brought to rest in the adjacent neighbour- 
hood of the platform. They have a capital 
name for these slow trains in Germany — 
that couple up and uncouple at every sta- 
tion, and saunter along at any rate they 
choose — a name in frequent use, and yet 
one scarcely capable of translation. What 
we understand by Parliamentary, and the 
French by Omnibus, the Germans appro- 
priately term Bummelzug. The word is de- 
rived from the verb bummeln, which meaneth 
not so much to loaf about, as to stroll to 
and fro without any fixed purpose. Hans 
Breitmann was a Bummler, or Bummer 
rather; and the term is exceedingly well 



A BUMMELZUG. 245 

exemplified by German students who may 
be seen strolling for hours about a market 
place, or in front of any little residential 
palace that happens to be in their university 
town. A Bummelzug therefore is a slow 
slouching train, that goes on its journey in 
a perfectly meaningless manner without any 
definite, fixed purpose, and pulls up on the 
slightest provocation for an indefinite period. 
Let ever so small a Kellner at a big hotel 
discover you intend starting by the Bum- 
melzug in the morning, and he ceases to 
have the slightest respect for you. Indeed, 
he generally considers it his duty to warn 
his chief — the Herr Oberkellner; and this 
dignitary, without further ado, marches up 
to you at once for an explanation. There 
must surely be a misunderstanding, he 
thinks ; you cannot intend going by the 
early train in the morning. "Why, that is 
merely a Bummelzug, he laughingly ex- 



246 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

plains, and will not get to its destination 
till some time after the Courierzug, or 
Postzug, or Schnellzug, or by whatever 
grand name it is called, arrives; besides, 
nobody from that hotel ever went with the 
much despised train. And great indeed is 
the Herr Oberkellner's disgust if he finds 
you are not to be dissuaded from your pur- 
pose. You will find it is the Boots, or 
a stern military commissionaire, who brings 
your bill next morning for payment. 

But to return to the Pusterthal train, which 
has by this time fairly come to a standstill. 
The carriages are very full, and nowhere 
is there room for the Great Britons. They 
are on the point of giving it up as a bad 
job, when -a very grimy but good-natured in- 
dividual, in a blue blouse, beckons the party 
to enter his compartment, clearing one-half 
the carriage of some big baskets and 
peasants that encumbered them. In this way 



AN OLD FRIEND. 247 

the occupants are closely jammed up at 
one end of the compartment, but that 
is of no moment; there is now room for 
the strangers to enter. Hereupon Brown 
effects an entrance; but what is his asto- 
nishment and horror as he slowly and hesi- 
tatingly ascends the steps, to find himself 
grasped fervently by the hand, while a 
group of delighted natives receive him as 
an old friend. The three other travellers 
are treated in like manner by the blue 
blouse, the other provincials present openly 
envying their companion his friendship 
with such distinguished foreigners. How- 
ever, the kind friend is good enough not 
to carry pride too far, and is quite satisfied 
now he has the Englishmen with him, and 
ean show off his grand acquaintances. He 
sits smiling and laughing at Brown oppo- 
site ; nodding pleasantly at that gentleman, 
and asking now and then whether he said 



248 " TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

anything. But as Brown will not take to 
the proprietor of the blue garment, the 
latter transfers his patronage to the others, 
and winks knowingly at each one in turn 
to show he remembers them all, and con- 
siders the whole proceeding an exquisite joke. 
Whether it is that it suddenly occurs to 
him that the Tittlebatonians have perhaps 
forgotten all about him, or whether it is 
for the sake of proving once more to the 
other occupants of the carriage the footing 
upon which he stands, is uncertain ; but 
when, after repeated advances, he fails to 
draw forth any remarks, he proceeds to 
inquire of Brown how he slept the other 
night at Niederdorf. The whole matter is 
then explained, and in their dirty travelling 
companion in the azure costume the Britons 
recognise their recent bedfellow. And as 
the spark of recognition bursts into flame 
and illumines their countenances, it becomes 



A MORAL LESSON. 249 

reflected in the faces of those around, who, 
one and all, testify their satisfaction that a 
countryman of theirs should have occupied 
so distinguished a position. Everything- 
that can conduce to the comfort of the 
pedestrians is attended to ; and the kindly 
peasants, at some inconvenience to them- 
selves, keep for the rest of the journey densely 
packed at the end of the carriage, to allow 
their betters full and sufficient room. Brown 
and Black, nevertheless, can hardly be 
brought down from the summit of their 
dignity to recognise their whilom acquain- 
tance ; but both Green and White are 
delighted at the meeting, the latter noting 
down in his memo-book (to be imparted 
to Mrs. White on the first opportunity) 
the whole story, the moral to which, 
as he resolves to point out, bears out the 
maxims embodied in that tale so well known 
to all school lads, " The Good-natured Boy.'* 



250 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

A more varied moving panorama than 
that of the Puster valley as you move 
along at the rate of five or ten miles an 
hour is scarcely conceivable, the ever- 
changing nature of the scene being truly 
marvellous. Here you have a perfect sea 
of foliage on either side, the billows of 
waving branches reaching from hill to hill, 
while a little further on there is nothing 
to see but sharply edged crags, cold and 
grey, standing in the midst of wild deso- 
lation. Anon you traverse the outlet of 
some valley, whose glaciers of white crystals 
are seen streaming down to the very edge 
of verdant pasture land, and anon a homely 
village is passed nestling by the side of a 
trout stream, the ideal of peace and con- 
tentment. As the valley of the Brenner is 
neared the forests grow more extensive, and 
you see nought upon the landscape but 
undulating woodland, pines and beech re- 



THE BRENNER PASS. 251 

lieving any monotony that might be sug- 
gested. 

At Franzensfeste, a fortress of stupendous 
strength, which effectually guards the 
narrow mouth of the important Brenner 
pass, the outlet of the Puster valley is 
reached, and here the traveller has a choice 
of two routes, for he may turn north over 
the pass to Munich, or go direct south to 
Verona and Italy. The fortifications are upon 
a most extensive scale, and on every side 
embrasures command the points of the 
compass, the Austrians setting great value 
upon this military post, which will accom- 
modate many thousand men. From the 
fact that all the traffic passing south from 
Central Europe goes over the Brenner, not 
forgetting the Indian mail, the importance 
of the station is at once manifest. 

* * * * * 

There remains now but little to tell, for 



252 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

the object of the Tittlebat Ciub being 
accomplished, there is simply the journey 
home to be recorded. The train is taken 
south, through the grand Yal Lagarina, 
past Brixen and Bozen, and in half a dozen 
hours one is in the middle of bright spark- 
ling Verona. Who can fittingly describe 
the bustling market-place of that genuine 
Italian city, the grand old arena of red 
marble, one of the most perfect in existence, 
the quaint narrow streets, the antique city 
gates, and the soft, musical cries of the 
fruit vendors ? Who shall tell of the evening 
promenades, the military bands, and the re- 
freshing ices and cooling syrups that the gen- 
tlemen of Yerona delight in? Who shall 
speak of the sparkling black eyes, flashing 
under veils and half screened by coquettish 
fans, of the soft oval faces and olive com- 
plexions, of the dainty tread and lofty car- 
riage of the Veronese dames ? The white 



VERONA. 253 



bridal veil of Genoa and the bewitching an- 
gular headdress of South Italy are absent, it 
is true, but the costumes are none the less 
pretty for all that, and after the more solid 
and square features of South Germany, 
every other woman appears a beauty. 

And now the journey is continued by 
railway due west, past the outlying redoubts 
of the strongest fortress of the Quadrilateral, 
and on until the hot plains are left behind 
and mountains again rise upon one's path. 
There come welcome peeps of the queenly 
Lago di Garda, whose soft outlines are 
veiled in azure mist, and whose placid 
waters look cool and inviting to the dusty 
traveller. On in the glaring heat and sun- 
shine through a stretch of flat country, and 
then[again past a succession of lovely scenes 
until the shores of Lake Lecco or Como are 
reached. A rest of a few hours succeeds, 
passed under the shady awning of a boat, 



254 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

propelled along lazily by a stalwart oarsman 
who stands in the scorching sun with little 
else but a big Panama hat to protect him, 
and who is cunning upon the subject of sly 
nooks and bays where a plunge into any 
depth of blue water may be had ; so trans- 
parent is the limpid blue that the diver can 
scarcely believe himself in the element at 
all, until glancing upward, he sees above him 
a mirrored surface to which bubbles are 
rapidly rising. As he swims and toys with 
the water his eyes rest on the soft Italian 
landscape that sweeps gently down to the 
margin of the lake, whose azure tint out- 
rivals that of the very sky above. 

And then with the evening steamer on 
the lake of Oomo, past Varenna and 
Bellagio, to rest the night at Menaggio. 
A twilight stroll along the shore as far as 
Cadenabbia, whose bright villas are to be 
seen miles away, where merry groups of 



LAKE OF COMO. 255 

visitors are heard, making the gardens echo 
with laughter; back to bed, with the 
stars shining above and the velvet outlines 
of the mountains across the lake still 
distinctly visible, and fireflies flitting 
about, their tiny sparks twinkling as 
they go. 

A walk of eight miles brings Porlezza 
into view on the shores of the Lugano Lake ; 
and until the steamer heaves in sight, 
bound for the town of that name, the 
Tittlebats put their knapsacks under 
their heads and lie down to gaze upon the 
smiling prospect in front. On one side the 
mountains rise abruptly from the water's 
edge, so that no road can pass along the 
bank, the tiny villages and chalets built on 
the slope being in danger of falling into the 
blue waters, were they not attached like 
fungi to the greenslopes. Drooping foliage 
dips into the water, seeking to cool itself 



.256 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

therein, and trellised vines and leafy fig 
trees cover the steep inclines. There is 
something curious and immovable in the 
water close to the shore that looks like a 
man's hat, but it is so fixed and motionless 
that it can hardly be so. Nevertheless it is 
a human covering, for after a time it slowly 
turns round and discovers its wearer reclin- 
ing on the sandy beach immersed to the 
neck. What is that that comes over the 
placid water ? Hark ! there it is again. It 
must be some one shouting from the white 
canopied boat approaching the shore. The 
truth is soon apparent. The Englishmen, 
quietly as they have come and laid them- 
selves down to rest, have been observed by 
the lynx-eyed boatmen, and two of these 
are now speeding up for a job. But hold ; 
this is an episode worth relating, and so a 
pause must be made. 

" Gentlemen going to Lugano by 



LUGANO. 257 



steamer ?" asks one of the boatmen, as soon 
as the skiff touches land. 

A nod in reply. 

"We will row you there for the same 
money," continues the man. 

"And get you in half an hour before- 
hand," adds the companion. 

" But we travel second class," replied 
Brown, diplomatically in his best Italian, 
and still on his back. 

The enterprise, under these circumstances, 
does not appear a very profitable one. As 
the Englishmen, however, seem to take 
but little interest in the matter, the sum of 
eight francs is ultimately suggested as the 
fare. 

This is reasonable enough for two men 
and a boat to Lugano, so the bargain is 
struck, a clause being made in the agree- 
ment for a bath, en route, of half an hour's 
duration. Everything goes well, and the 

17 



258 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

men row with a will, the quiet motion of 
the little bark being far more pleasant than 
any noisy steamer. The men keep their 
word as regards time, for within an hour 
and a half there is the smooth-topped 
Monte Salvatore standing out in front, 
while to the right, nestling in a cosy 
little bay and framed in clustering foliage, 
is disclosed the little Swiss town of 
Lugano. 

But all this while the boat is not making 
for the town, but a little way to the left, 
and presently Brown asks why they do not 
row to the pier. 

"You stop at Lugano, do you not ?" says 
the chief boatman. 

" No," is the answer ; " we must get a 
carriage and go on to Maggiore at once, for 
we shall try to reach Domo d'Ossola to- 
night." 

" Ah, well," says the man, " you will go 



A GOOD BARGAIN. 259 

to the hotel, and, after a little dinner, you 
will be off again/' 

"No, certainly not," says Brown, curtly 
and decisively. 

" Ah, well, then you will take horses and 
carriages at once, and have some dinner in 
the meantime; fine hotel, the Hotel du 
Pare, good carriages, nice horses." 

And this is why the boatmen are not 
rowing direct for the town. The kind- 
hearted fellows are resolved to take care of 
their passengers, and land them at an hotel 
of their own choosing; the boat is 
being rowed rapidly towards a neatly-built 
house on the quay, where, of course, pater- 
nal care will be exercised, and where per- 
haps the poor boatmen themselves will not 
be altogether forgotten. As far as the hotel 
is concerned it may probably be the best 
house in that part of the world, only 
it is the conveyance there willy-nilly, 

17—2 



260 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

the being paid -for-and- delivered -sort- of- 
manner that causes a rising in the throat 
of Britons, who never will be slaves. 
The hotel is charmingly situated in front 
of the lake ; it has quite the air of a first- 
class establishment, but the general aspect 
seems somehow to whisper the item " service 
and waxlights." There is, however, nothing 
to lead one to believe that it is not unlike 
all houses of premier rang, and one by one 
the Tittlebats soften down and begin to 
think that as matters are, perhaps they 
may do worse than throw themselves upon 
the mercy of the big hotel they are rapidly 
approaching. 

It begins to be tacitly decided upon to 
enter the hostelry straightway, and bargain 
for a carriage for continuing the journey. 
But in an instant a circumstance occurs 
which changes matters entirely, and brings 
back the British feelings of obstinacy and 



SCENES IN THE CIRCLE. 261 

independence with twofold vigour. There 
is standing near the big portals a small 
urchin, and this far-seeing youth observing 
a boat-load of distinguished foreigners 
making direct for the hotel steps, jumps 
desperately at a big bell-handle over his 
head, and causes the most fearful din. The 
attention of all idlers within a wide radius 
is thus called to the circumstance, and these 
speed to the landing-place to look on, quite 
a. little mob. But this is as nothing com- 
pared to the change that comes over the 
quiet and peaceful hotel. The effect is 
marvellous. If the reader has ever attended 
a performance at a circus or hippodrome, 
he will possibly remember the very first 
act of all. The circus, faultlessly raked, is 
empty, and silence reigns supreme ; the 
curtain across the entrance to the ring is 
drawn, and nothing is seen of the per- 
formers, not so much as a stray groom 



262 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

being visible; the orchestra has played 
through the overture, and all is expectation 
during the pause that ensues. Suddenly a 
bell rings, the band bursts forth, the cur- 
tains are drawn back, and there quickly 
appear, stamping down the smoothly kept 
tan in the circle, a dozen gentlemen in 
tightly buttoned dress-coats, white waist- 
coats, and gold-laced trousers ; and these 
proceed to stand at attention on each side 
of the door by which the splay-footed per- 
former comes bounding in. Now if this 
picture is borne in mind, the scene in front 
of the hotel at Lugano can be easily ima- 
gined. For no sooner had the warning 
been sounded by the urchin aforesaid, than 
there issues forth, with quite a business, 
circus-like air, a stout smiling gentleman in 
a white waistcoat (no whip, however), a tall, 
graceful individual in whiskers, evidently 
the Herr Oberkellner, one or two minor 



GENTLEMEN IN WAITING. 263 

Kellners, and a commissionaire with a gold- 
laced cap, while two minions of lower rank 
in black calico-sleeves and green-baize aprons 
descend the steps to receive the guests on 
arrival. It is an impressive sight ; and to 
make the thing more effective the boatmen 
redouble their energies, and putting on a 
spurt, send the boat to the landing-place in 
capital style. The effect is instantaneous; 
grander travellers would have hesitated at 
the moment, and the shoal of Tittlebats 
are scared away off-hand ; and instead of 
the smug countenances of a minute ago, 
the smiling would-be entertainers look upon 
very blank faces, as one after another the 
tourists are helped on land. They have 
previously assumed their knapsacks, so there 
are no loose packages to be seized upon, 
and turning sharply to the right along the 
quay they leave the group of gentlemen 
in waiting free to follow their own devices. 



264 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

With one of the many vetturinos hanging 
about a bargain is struck for a carriage to 
Luino, on the Lago Maggiore, and pending 
its arrival the surly Britons sit in line upon 
the parapet, their untidy boots dangling 
against the granite wall, and their eyes 
fixed upon the numerous retinue still 
grouped around the big hotel; within a 
quarter of an hour they are driving away 
in time to catch the afternoon boat to Pal- 
lanza. 

Along the Lago Maggiore, with its soft 
low bank and pretty islands, to Pallanza, 
where a conveyance is hired for Domo 
d'Ossola, reached an hour after midnight. 
Thence next day, a cool, cloudy day fortu- 
nately, across the grand Simplon Pass on 
foot, a severe day's march, but as it is the last 
walk of the tour and every one is in excellent 
training, nothing is to be feared from a 



THE GRAND INDIAN RAILWA Y. 265 

little over- exertion. From Brieg, by early 
diligence, to Sierre to get the morning train 
to the Lake of Geneva, along a few dozen 
miles of isolated railway which was projected 
years ago as a " Eoute aux Indes," and 
which has been more than once inaugurated 
by brilliant international fetes and orations. 
When the whole length of line to India 
will be complete it is difficult to say at pre- 
sent, but the last section of nine miles from 
Sion to Sierre over a dead level, necessitated 
a period of half a dozen years, the exertion 
proving so great that an interval of exhaus- 
tion has now set in, leaving matters in 
abeyance. But the simple-minded inhabi- 
tants of the Ehone valley are still sanguine 
of seeing the time when the whole vast trade 
with India, bales of merchandize, rich 
fabrics, spices and coffees, the shawls of the 
luxurious East and other costly wares, will 



266 TRAMPS IN THE TYROL. 

be carried past their mountain villages. 
Meanwhile there is a very remunerative 
traffic being carried on with tourists, and 
in summer time the crowded state of the 
little stations of Sierre, Martigny, and 
St. Moritz, gives one the idea of a per- 
petual fair being held in the neighbour- 
hood. 

Thus to the shores of the Lake of Geneva, 
whence a boat possessed of all the qualities 
of its prototype the Bummelzug, having 
spent half a dozen hours in zigzagging 
across the broad blue water, at last makes 
up its mind to finish the business and make 
for Geneva. The good ship Simplon having 
once ventured close to the tourist-fleecing 
city, is quickly drawn into the vortex by 
the rushing Ehone, so boat and cargo glide 
quietly between the two curiously-shaped 
breakwaters, which appear to the traveller 



A CITY OF PREY. 267 

something like the upper and lower jaws 
of a shark. 

And Geneva, as everybody knows, is 
now-a-days as near London as York was 
fifty years ago, when the fastest coach 
took four-and-twenty hours to travel the 
distance. 



THE END. 



LONDON: 

SAVILL, EDWAEDS AND CO., PRINTEBS, CHANDOS STEEET, 
COTENT GABDEN. 



